I believe most of us are looking for simple solutions to solve the issues we face in our everyday lives. For me, the solutions used to be things that others could do for me or how people could treat me better or give me more money. It was always how life would be better if others would do things for me. Life would be wonderful if everyone would just understand me, love me and take care of me. I must admit that there were few thoughts in my mind on what I could do to solve my own problems, craft my own life, and then support others in their search for happiness.
I have found that gratitude and appreciation are major tools in the toolbox of life’s solutions that we will want to cultivate as we begin crafting a new life experience in 2019. Charles Fillmore says in “Teach us to Pray” that “We make our soul out of the thoughts and words we entertain. Consequently, we should be very careful in choosing our words…”. Continuing his words in the next paragraph, “Praise and Bless are words freely used by those who love spiritual values…. These words are not found in the vocabulary of the pessimist or atheist.”
So, as we are looking at the possibility of creating a new happy and productive life, maybe our first tool is to look at what we can be thankful for in our life and appreciate the blessings we are experiencing now. This would require us to look for the blessings and stop dwelling on our issues. Probably a good first step in solving some of the challenges in our lives.
We are going to continue these ideas on Sunday and continue looking at solutions to life’s challenges as we unwrap more tools that can help us craft a new life experience in the coming weeks.
