Look Forward... with Hope!

I talk about well-being a lot—I talk about health a lot—

We need our bodies to be healthy—our brains to be alert and sharp…Right?

Why?  So we can…

●       Be at peace;

●       Have energy;

●       Think things through;

●       Be quick to think;

●       Relax;

●       Feel good;

●       Sleep good;

●       Feel strong…

I’m pretty sure you want all that…as I do.  So to help you get to those destinations, I usually talk about lots of ways we can get there.  I write about:

●       Getting rid of our old eating habits, the Standard American Diet, replacing it with good quality food, and

●       Realizing our bodies are made to move and that if we don’t move them as a daily habit, we will not live a full and healthy life into old age; and

●       As much as we may “need to” keep pushing our bodies and our minds to get everything done that we need to do, we weren’t designed to keep up that pace.  Our bodies and minds need to “take a breath”.  We HAVE TO, if we want to keep our health and our mental sharpness. And

●       Realizing that without good sleep, our bodies and brains won’t be able to clean out and refresh, and rebuild, to be ready for the next day.  We can’t sustain long-term lack of good quality sleep, and stay healthy, mentally and physically.

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Do you know one very important reason we need to know these things, and do these things?

So we can be productive citizens, and helpful to others… But also—

Our Children, and our Families.  How can they know, if we don’t show them.  The world around them will not teach them.

Let’s think of all the things that influence us—and influence our family—our children.

One Scenario, as an example…

The old SCI FI comic books—they’d stretch our imagination—that was kind of fun, ‘way back.  Then as the internet world came alive, there was the hacker-culture with anti-heroes in the high tech world. 

Then it became normal to have games and internet reels, and movies with dark scenarios, realistic and seductive ideas of suffering and an ultimate unjust future.

Instead of classics, young minds were filled with a series of comic book heroes and futures where the sole goal was surviving, not thriving.  And these dark influencers became heroes.

The Sci-Fi visions have become eerily familiar in our reality in the realms of science, technology and “scientism”, and also financial systems (ruined planet, plagues, robots taking over, over-population, thought control).  And then the Fighting.  Continual Fighting.

This is not the only negative influence, but only one example.

Don’t you think it would be better if we looked “Forward” … and have “Hope” for our future?

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What if we were able to turn those ideas around—away from the dark and “surviving”, to growing, and thriving, helping, and feeling joy… and hope …

What influences your life…your thoughts…your plans for your future?

          What you read…

          Instructors, if in classes…

          What we watch…

          Who your social media friends are…

          Who our real, in-person friends are…

          Who/What we listen to; news, podcasts, etc…

Once our minds are slanted toward a direction, good or bad, it’s easier to go along with more and more things that go in that same direction, so it might benefit us

●       to take inventory from time to time to

●       make sure we’re thinking in the direction we want to think—the direction that goes along with who we truly are, and what we believe in our core.

So, what things should we think about?  The Bible tells us to think about the good things.  Things that are true, honest, just, pure, lovely, of good report, things that are virtuous, and things worthy of praise. 

This gives us a good idea for a foundation.  If your thoughts begin to go in the direction of darkness, you probably need to pause, and re-think.

Once we’ve been influenced by the darker, hopeless thoughts of “the future” or the present, it takes hold of us before we know it, and it entices us, or drags us, further into it.

And we can be easily influenced over time to think toward the fog, or the smog—the unclear direction.  But we can look toward a brighter future.  The hope is there.

There are lots of things to influence us in the wrong direction, and our own mind can easily dwell there if we let it, without even any outside influence.  There are lots of “real-life” negative things to get us thinking on the wrong track.  But there is so much more hope!

●       We need to know what we truly believe, and what we truly want for our lives.

●       We need to be grounded in that spot.  We need to know for sure—Strong in our beliefs.  Not easily persuaded otherwise.

●       If you don’t know where you want to be, there’s no way to get there.  That good life you want isn’t going to just fall on you.  You’re the one who can make it happen.  No one else.

●       Figure out, for real, what you want your life to be.

Do you Believe in:

●       A future based on Faith, Striving for a future based on how you want it?

●       If that faith is based in God, He will help you.  But you also need to have faith in yourself.  You can do this.

●       Do you believe in a future of Care and Respect, and Encouragement for your fellow-man?

●       These Beliefs and Faith are God-given.  They can flourish in you, and in your Family, in your Work, in your Health; and can give you longer life, and peace!

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And then…

Can we convince the next generation that the negatives, and hopelessness are not inevitable?  That there can be, and is now a better future?

Yes.  We can.

●       We can believe it ourselves.  The peace of our own lives depends on this belief.  We can be strong in our belief.  How can we have peace without it.

●       We can transfer that belief to the minds and hearts around us, especially the young ones.  They need to know these truths.  How can they have peace without it.

Reject the darker side, wherever it comes from, and think about where you really want to go.  Catch those thoughts and turn them around with thinking, where you truly want to go!

Love yourself.  God made you.  You’re not perfect; who is?  Love YOU.

Then share your love with the people around you.  They need your love, and they need your encouragement.  We all need each other.

Choose to have a good life.  Choose to enjoy it.  Choose to love.  And choose to be thankful for those around you, and for all your other blessings.  And take some time to reflect on those blessings.

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I try to make positive choices for my life every day.  And I know what I want my life to look like.  I choose things that work toward that.  Some of those things are spiritually based; some are business-related.  Some are home-related.  Some are family-related.

For one long weekend every year.

I will be spending the weekend soon with family at our annual reunion.  The younger generation is in charge, and they keep things going with lots of fun things. 

Most all of the younger ones camp out, while some of us stay in the state park lodge.  They cook for us in the camp; they have games; we do miniature golf, ride the little scenic train. 

We do all this in honor of “Little Grammy” and Grandad, who loved auctions, so we all bring things to sell, and one of the nephews becomes our auctioneer, and we use the money to help toward next year’s expenses, while buying family hand-made items, hand-painted items, or a family heirloom. 

Everyone has such a great time, and Little Grammy and Grandad would love that we do all this.

THIS is something honorable and good to think on.  Family. Being together with cousins, nieces & nephews, just all of us, and even some friends that have become built-in family.

Perfect family? Absolutely not.

Everyone getting along 100%? No.

But it works, and cousins (and we all) get to know each other better.

It’s something imperfect that is a blessing to be thankful for.

Your priorities for your life are probably totally different from mine.  And that’s good, because they’re YOUR priority decisions, based on what direction you want your life to go.

It’s all about where you want to go in your life… where you want your future to be. 

The path to get there can be figured out.  The most important thing is to know where you want to go… what do you want your life to look like.

Our lives are so precious.  They’re worthy of us making them the very best that we can.

Thanks for reading my article.  I wish you the very best.  If I can help you with your health, or with thinking in a new or different direction, please contact me to help. 

(Oh—and if you’re considering a family reunion, and if you’d like to see our sample reunion agenda and other ideas, click here and it will be on its way to you.)

Blessings to you…

Sharon