Last week I wrote about how faith, prayer, love, service, and forgiveness all work synergistically to help me face life with a positive outlook.  At the same time judgment, control, self-pity, blame, and worry are things that I aspire to eliminate in my life.  It is a work in progress, but the good news is that I am aware and normally recognize when the nasty side makes its appearance.  I quickly change my attitude and rely on faith, prayer, love, service, and forgiveness. With the sudden realization that I am processing judgmental thoughts, I silently ask Jesus for forgiveness…

When I want to change my attitude or outlook on life, I quickly evaluate my priorities and reestablish how faith, prayer, love, service, and forgiveness are working in my life.     Do I have a realistic perspective or am I living a life full of stress?  Am I allowing fear or faith to lead my life? For me, faith is first.  I can sense when I step over the line and try to manage my life rather than walk my intended path.  I center my thoughts on Jesus and trust that opportunities will arise if I am open to all possibilities…

Lately, I’ve been thinking about perceptions and how often I automatically take what I see and hear as real.  How often do I look at the situation and make a judgment based on a brief encounter?  Do I go a step further and confirm what I have seen or heard or do I make a spontaneous judgment? I listen to and read the news that is reported but challenge myself to be open to various perspectives.  I have my opinions but tend not to verbalize them because rarely have I taken the time to seek the truth through research…

I try not to think about all the times that frustration has quickly surfaced within me unveiling a side that is not particularly flattering.  I am learning to overcome frustration with prayer and remembering the importance of maintaining love in my heart.    I was researching businesses that extract wisdom teeth.  I called to get price estimates, but the offices would not give any pricing over the phone.  I was not pleased but understood the process.  During the initial call, I asked if I could book the surgery for a particular week.  The woman said, “We don’t book appointments until…