Forgive me...another exception to my "Scripture only" rule! This is sooo close to Philippians 4:4! This actually is a quote from Anne Hathaway's mother. As I remember, when this actress was a young girl and had disappointments, her mother would encourage her to "choose joy" - it sounds like my mother! We do have a choice in how we respond to the disappointments of life. Our attitude is ours alone! I once heard it said: "First you make your choices, then your choices make you!". Lots of people have disappointments and crumble in body and soul; others rise above their difficult circumstances to peace and joy. There are lots of examples of both in the Bible. Let's concentrate on the positive ones:
--Joshua chose to focus on the Lord's promise rather than the giants in the new land (Numbers 13-14)
--Ruth chose to remain with her mother-in-law and make "her God my God" (she later became a part of the genealogy of Jesus) (Matthew 1:5) (Ruth 1)
--Joseph chose to do right rather than take advantage of a miserable woman's advances (Genesis 39)
--Paul and Silas chose to pray and sing in jail rather than blame someone else for their trouble (Acts 16)
Think about the choices you will have today!
Choose kindness!
Choose mercy!
Choose forgiveness!
Choose love!
Choose gratitude!
Choose faith!
Choose joy!
For further study: Deuteronomy 30:19-20, Nehemiah 8:10, Psalm 37, Proverbs 8:10,, 16:16, Habakkuk 3:18, Matthew 5:12, John 7:17, Galatians 5:22-23, Phil. 4:4, 1 Thes. 5:16, James 1:2.
Be blessed in your understanding of God's word.
Love,
Holly
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