Smile More.

April 25, 2019

For the past couple of months we have been practicing spiritual disciplines in our WorldWide Witness class to help prepare us for what we may encounter this summer. This past week I had to put into practice gratitude and speaking words of encouragement and positivity. I was challenged with replacing negative tendencies with thankfulness. I did not realize how much of a struggle this was going to be until I realized how overwhelmed I had become with stress. I was getting caught up in feeling sorry for myself and the busy schedule I had inflicted upon myself. I found myself constantly ranting and venting about every little thing that irritated me or I found to be an inconvenience. My views of life had become very narrow minded and all I could focus on was my life and struggles. I failed to recognize what was going on around me, especially in the lives of my friends. For those of you who do not know me, I am a type 2 on the Enneagram test. I pride myself on being a people person and will go above and beyond for the people I care about. So, the fact that I had become so worn out made it hard for me to feel like myself and enjoy life. I had put myself in circumstances that were draining me quicker than they were filling me up.

This past week served as a reminder that I have control over my attitude and reaction to given circumstances. The constant nagging of negativity adds a gloom to the atmosphere. It brings no joy and more often than not it would leave me feeling miserable. This week of gratitude forced to look at situations in a different light. In order to do this, I enlisted the help of my friend Katie. This girl is always a beaming ray of positivity and I knew if anyone could hold me accountable to this, it was going to be her. I asked her to hold me accountable towards showing gratitude for the things in my life instead of complaining. This meant that there would be a time and place to voice my frustrations, but after that I was to leave it alone and not allow it to consume my thoughts. It had become so easy to have a negative mindset and find a problem with every little thing. Our thoughts run rampant continuously and it is something that we need to be aware of because our thoughts start to dictate our actions.

Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy,  for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

1 Peter 1:8-9 NIV

During this week I reflected on the difference between joy and happiness. My state of being had become so dependent on current circumstances, so my moments of happiness were fleeting. I had stopped turning towards God to allow my cup to be filled up. I had become so overwhelmed that I was turning to friends and materialistic things that were as selfish and self serving as I was to have my cup filled. I was expecting to have my cup filled up by these temporary things that I had forgotten how fulfilling and lasting God is. As much as I wanted to latch onto these moments of happiness, I knew I would not be able to because I was not seeking God in them. As cliche as it may sound, God was the only way that I was going to constantly have joy even when I was under pressure. There are always going to be things happening in our life that we are not in favor of, but it is the pursuit of God that keeps me steady. I want people to be able to see God moving in my life even when it seems like the world is pressing on, but I cannot expect that to happen when I have a negative mindset. I want people to see me smile despite my circumstances and question what is bringing me so much joy. Finding joy means smiling and appreciating what is in front of you, because I can guarantee that it is not there by mistake.

Challenge:

1. Even when it is a gloomy day, make a list of 3 things you are sincerely grateful for in your life. Whether it is a friend, the extra hour of sleep you got, or you passed a hard test. Whatever it is I want to encourage you to see the light in the moments that seem overcome with darkness.

2. Pick someone to encourage with your words. Don’t just compliment them and comment on their external appearance, but comment on their character and impact they have on you. If you know someone is struggling with something reach out and let them know they are not alone. Motivate them to keep putting one foot in front of the other.

If you are interested in learning more about the enneagram test or you are curious as to what type you are, you can find out more at this website: https://www.enneagraminstitute.com/