Surviving Struggles

Let your joy out. One way I do that is to give people something to laugh about.  How?  I collect jokes and write down everything I hear that makes me brighten up.  I make amusement a ministry because chuckles are better than a therapist.  They are aloe vera for he sunburns of life.  When the dumps take their toll, laughter provides the exact change to get you through. 

Whatever your troubles, try looking at them by the light of another source or a different star.  Go ahead; don't be afraid.  Find a wacky angle, a new twist.  Offer trouble a little serious thought, then turn it upside down and look at it through God-colored glasses.  Chew on trouble's possibilities for make you smarter, better, stronger, kinder.

Sample some weird and wonderful Jelly Bellies, Gobstoppers, or Sweet Tarts while you do that.  Then take the curved weapon I call joy and toss trouble by its funny side out into the world.

written by Barbara Johnson

Promises About Praise

I will praise you as long as I live, Lord, and in your name I will lift up my hands.  My soul will be satisfied as with the richest of foods; with singing lips my mouth will praise you.  Psalm 63:4-5


Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.  For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight.  Ephesians 1:3-4


As the soil makes the sprout come up and a garden causes seeds to grow, so the Sovereign Lord will make righteousness and praise spring up before all nations.  Isaiah 61:11

An Attitude of Praise

Praising God in song lifts our spirits, clears our heads, and opens a place for the Holy Spirit to speak to us.  God extends care to us by meeting our every need and comforting us when we go through trials.  Don't you think we have something to sing about?  Want to lift your spirits from the hustle and bustle of the day?  Sing to the Lord.  When praises go up, blessings come down.  Now isn't that something to sing about?

Promises About Our Response to Trouble

We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.   Romans 8:28


For Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties.  For when I am weak, then I am strong.   2 Corinthians 12:10


Our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.  
Romans 8:18


Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.  James 1:12