It’s strange how easily a human can lose focus. You’re driven and you know what you want. You have goals and you have purpose. Then you get stuck in a rut. Dealing with the same people day in and day out. Their habits annoy you. And before you know it you’re tired, and irritated, and you just want to get out of wherever it is you find yourself, thinking that you’ll find peace anywhere else… only to find that the next place you go to, exactly the same thing happens. Instead of focusing on what’s important, you start allowing external factors to get to you.
It takes constant reminding, telling yourself to refocus, that this is YOUR journey, YOUR life, and that you cannot allow other people’s bad habits, negative energy or wrong behaviour to get to you. At the end of the day you are in control of your own life. You make the decisions. You can choose not to get angry. Choose not to allow other’s to influence you. Choose not to allow others to affect your mood, your day, your dreams. You can choose to stay focussed on the important things. The things that really matter.
Then there’s the question of what really does matter? What makes your world go round? Until you’ve experiences true happiness, peace and contentment, how do you know what it feels like? To me, its freedom. Freedom to be who you are, without feeling guilt or regret or shame. The only way that you can do that is by accepting and believing that you are forgiven. Everything that you have been through, everything that has happened, has happened. And you cannot change the past. You can only grow from it. Learn from it. And believe that God sees none of your faults. All He sees is His beautiful, unique creation. Once you know in your heart that you have been forgiven, you already feel whole, and complete. The guilt and shame goes away. The regret disappears because you realise everything you have been through has brought you to where you are now, and only now do you appreciate everything you have, everything you have become. And now, because you have dealt with your past, you are in control of your own future. Because the choices you make today become the life you live tomorrow. You are in control of your own life. You have the power to change everything! This is where everything falls into place. This is where you realise what it means to be at peace, to have self-control, to be lacking in nothing. It’s being full on a heart level. Full enough to give to others.
And that’s what really matters. That’s what counts. Relationships. Love. Serving others. Being able to be who God created you to be, in His likeness, and in being happy, in being content, you’re leading and guiding others to that very same state of mind. When they see where you have been, and where you are right now, all they see is hope for themselves. Hope for their future. Your testimony of how you found true happiness, is the most powerful because everyone wants to be truly happy. Everyone wants to be at peace. Who could possibly be happier than a person living life, unashamed, in full force, without regret? A person comfortable with who they are, proud to be humble, one who is content whatever the circumstances? It’s when you get to this point, overflowing with love, kindness, happiness and grace, that you want to give. Because you realise that giving is better than receiving. And that in giving, you actually receive so much more.
So what does this all mean? What have I learnt? That material things don’t matter. That trivial arguments, and misunderstandings and different opinions are part of life, and are almost always blown out of proportion and not worth the worry lines. That, at the end of the day, kindness and mercy win every time. That the important things come from the heart. That love, above all, is unconditional. That we are all special and unique, and that we all make mistakes – a lot of the time! It’s not how we fall, it’s how we get up. And, if we just do the right things, the right things will happen. God is in control. He knows what He’s doing. You have the choice. You’re in control of your future. Believe that you have been forgiven. And remain grateful for every small thing. These lessons are priceless. These things are worth more than Gold. Because they bring true happiness, which money cannot buy.
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