Promised Land qualms? (4 of 4)

It has been said that those who do not know their past are condemned to repeat it... I agree. Just two months ago, I finished a very hard three-months-in-Mexico lesson in contentment... I really learned the lesson and the memories of what I learned stuck - for about a month. Since I have NO desire to have to learn that lesson again, I must pull from history and from my relationship with God to ensure my grades stay put.

Contentment is a choice.

This is a very hard thing to remember, especially when in the throes of self-pity and myopic focus, drowning in petty problems and pathetic attitudes all caused by improper focus. Each one of us has a CHOICE to make correct decisions. You have a CHOICE when you decide to listen to the whining of your selfish inner puppy instead of giving the problem to God and moving on. You have a CHOICE when you decide to wallow in the mental gymnastics of worst-case scenarios instead of giving the problem to God and moving on. You have a CHOICE. Do you want to be miserable and depressed instead of upbeat and perky? Didn't think so.

Stop discontentment before it starts.

How? Take each thought you have and examine it before dwelling on it. There is one thought about how much you miss him. True, you do miss him. How about focus on the fact that there is light at the end of the courtship tunnel and rejoice in that fact; don't visualize how much you miss him, complete with tears. Here's another thought about how many months still remain before he can propose. True, there are quite a few separated months. Turn the focus to the fact that only a few months separate you from permanent union; isn't that worth a few months of hardship as opposed to years of just courtship??

Take control of your thoughts.

By not going down the path of thoughts that lead to depression, tears, angst, frustration, anger, self-pity, discouragement, and despair, you will save yourself hours and hours of misery. What does that mean? It means you have to adjust to a life of joy, hope, faith, patience, contentment, light, and sunshine. This is not to say life will be easy... but by taking the mental path to happiness, your life will follow.

You will be more pleasant to be around and people will notice. Who knows? Maybe your choice to see the positive side of things can help save someone else from going down the mental misery path. So make that mental decision... make a heart decision... if you can't do it, get in touch with the One who can and look for the beauty in the storm...

...it's there, I promise you!