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MarilynW
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| Posted: Dec 01 2007 at 4:24pm | IP Logged
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Today my dh (not criticizing at all) said something which showed that I really do not come across as content and happy - I know this is partly not being well for a while, partly postpartum hormones and also undeniably my perfectionist nature  But it has really got me thinking (and given my New Years resolution) - how to keep peaceful and content even in illness, trouble, problems etc. I know prayer is the key but am trying to figure out some other steps too.
I would love to hear how you keep content and joyful - even when you may have chronic pain or illness, life throws obstacles at you, kids are tough, money is scarce - or whatever crosses you have to bear.
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Marilyn
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Stephanie_Q
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Working on that myself...I'm finding that simplifying is helping me a lot. Less visual clutter - less internal clutter & anxiety. Also, I've been trying to practice thankfulness. I started a gratitude notebook. It helps me to think about and focus on my many blessings when I have to write them down. God bless you!
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mom2mpr
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I also am trying to simplify. It is helping so much. Now if I could get my family to do the same 
Anne
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MarilynW
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| Posted: Dec 01 2007 at 7:05pm | IP Logged
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A friend sent me this - kind of relevant to this thread:
AN INTERVIEW WITH RICK WARREN (AUTHOR OF "A PURPOSE DRIVEN LIFE")
Interview with Rick Warren , author and pastor of Saddleback Church in California .
In the interview by Paul Bradshaw with Rick Warren, Rick said:
"People ask me, What is the purpose of life? And I respond: In a nutshell, life is preparation for eternity. We were made to last forever, and God wants us to be with Him in Heaven.
One day my heart is going to stop, and that will be the end of my body-- but not the end of me.
I may live 60 to 100 years on earth, but I am going to spend trillions of years in eternity. This is the warm-up act - the dress rehearsal.
God wants us to practice on earth what we will do forever in eternity. We were made by God and for God, and until you figure that out, life isn't going to make sense.
Life is a series of problems: Either you are in one now, you're just coming out of one, or you're getting ready to go into another one.
The reason for this is that God is more interested in your character than your comfort.
God is more interested in making your life holy than He is in making your life happy.
We can be reasonably happy here on earth, but that's not the goal of life. The goal is to grow in character, in Christ likeness.
This past year has been the greatest year of my life but also the toughest, with my wife getting cancer.
I used to think that life was hills and valleys - you go through a dark time, then you go to the mountaintop, back and forth. I don't believe that anymore.
Rather than life being hills and valleys, I believe that it's kind of like two rails on a railroad track, and at all times you have something good and something bad in your life.
No matter how good things are in your life, there is always something bad that needs to be worked on.
And no matter how bad things are in your life, there is always something good you can thank God for.
You can focus on your purposes, or you can focus on your problems.
If you focus on your problems, you're going into self-centeredness, "which is my problem, my issues, my pain."
But one of the easiest ways to get rid of pain is to get your focus off yourself and onto God and others.
We discovered quickly that in spite of the prayers of hundreds of thousands of people, God was not going to heal my wife or make it easy for her.
It has been very difficult for her, and yet God has strengthened her character, given her a ministry of helping other people, given her a testimony, drawn her closer to Him and to people.
You have to learn to deal with both the good and the bad of life. Actually, sometimes learning to deal with the good is harder. For instance, this past year, all of a sudden, when the book sold 15 million copies, it made me instantly very wealthy.
It also brought a lot of notoriety that I had never had to deal with before. I don't think God gives you money or notoriety for your own ego or for you to live a life of ease.
So I began to ask God what He wanted me to do with this money, notoriety and influence. He gave me two different passages that helped me decide what to do, II Corinthians 9 and Psalm 72.
First, in spite of all the money coming in, we would not change our lifestyle one bit. We made no major purchases.
Second, about midway through last year, I stopped taking a salary from the church.
Third, we set up foundations to fund an initiative we call The Peace Plan to plant churches, equip leaders, assist the poor, care for the sick, and educate the next generation.
Fourth, I added up all that the church had paid me in the 24 years since I started the church, and I gave it all back. It was liberating to be able to serve God for free.
We need to ask ourselves: Am I going to live for possessions? Popularity? Am I going to be driven by pressures? Guilt? Bitterness? Materialism? Or am I going to be driven by God's purposes (for my life)?
When I get up in the morning, I sit on the side of my bed and say, God, if I don't get anything else done today, I want to know You more and love You better ...
God didn't put me on earth just to fulfill a to-do list. He's more interested in what I am than what I do. That's why we're called human beings, not human doings.
Happy moments, PRAISE GOD.
Difficult moments, SEEK GOD.
Quiet moments, WORSHIP GOD.
Painful moments, TRUST GOD.
Every moment, THANK GOD"
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Marilyn
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Angie Mc
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I'm with you, Marilyn  . I wrote this recently.
Love,
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Angie Mc
Maimeo to Henry! Dave's wife, mom to Mrs. Devin+Michael Pope, Aiden 20,Ian 17,John Paul 11,Catherine (heaven 6/07)
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MarilynW
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| Posted: Dec 01 2007 at 8:19pm | IP Logged
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Angie Mc wrote:
I'm with you, Marilyn . I wrote this recently.
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What a beautiful post Angie. I have printed it out and stuck it on my dresser. Thank you - a real answer to prayer.
My dh is one of those contented people - and it was a shock to me to realize that he was right and I am not content. (we joke that I think it is written in the US Bill of Rights that I will always feel well!!)
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Marilyn
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MarilynW
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| Posted: Dec 06 2007 at 9:20pm | IP Logged
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Is it a coincidence that the Mom's Corner from the Maxwells this month is on contentment for homeschooling moms?!
The Gift of Contentment
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Marilyn
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4Real Forums : Tea and Conversation
Topic: How to be content and joyful?!
