It's December! As if you didn't know that fact. We are all knee deep in Christmas groundwork
. I discovered some years ago a secret
ingredient to Christmas preparation that freed me from experiencing joy theft
while getting ready to celebrate Jesus' birthday. CLEANING! Not the house although I do
recommend doing that. A winter-cleaning
for the soul: A Negativity Fast! That’s right a Negativity Fast. What pray tell is a Negativity Fast you ask? Refrain from a negative thought for 24 hours. It may take a whole month to achieve –
well it took me a whole month! Every
morning I’d wake up, stretch and say good morning Jesus, then my brow furled
and a negative thought formed in my upper brain and traveled down the back of
my head and with centrifugal force came into fruition. Coffee stain in my sink I’d think loudly. Ugg! I
hate coffee stains in my sink. My feet
would hit the floor running and I’d get to the sink and sure enough –there they
were – coffee stains in my sink along with the realization that I had a
negative thought before my feet hit the floor.
Drats !!! More negative thoughts. Oh double drats !!! I immediately start to blame my husband, 'Oh Lord why can’t he clean this up'? I shout inside my head. Then I’d remember his idea of clean and my
idea of clean wouldn’t even appear on the same calendar in a year. I remind myself how lovely it is that he brews
delicious coffee every morning and the other thing that occurs to me: the world would never understand murdering a
husband cuz he left coffee stains in the sink!
Oh my, that is as stupid as killing one of those husbands because they
squeezed the toothpaste in the middle. Better to focus on the good news that he
used toothpaste. I’m sunk Lord and I
stink at a Negativity Fast. Can I start
my negativity fast after everyone leaves?
That might give me a running start. !!!!!! As you can see it's easier said than
done. Give it a try... just 24 little
hours but the blessings will continue beyond the fast.
A pearl to string: God's Word tells us:
"See to it that no one takes you
captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human
tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ". (Colossians 2:8/NIV)
An
animal trainer will take a stool with them when they step into a cage with a
lion. Why? Because it calms a lion better than anything
else except maybe a tranquilizer gun.
When the trainer holds that stool with the legs extended toward the
lions’ face, the animal tries to focus on all four legs at once. And that paralyzes him. Divided focus always works against you. "You will keep him in perfect
peace, whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you". (Isaiah
26:3NKJV)
Our negative thoughts allow satan to get a foot into the door of our hearts. You don't want to be forced to run satan's
errands (Timothy 2:26/MSG)
"Be self-controlled
and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for
someone to devour". (1 Peter 5:8/NIV)
The measure of a woman is
when she is facing her tribulations to eradicate their influence from her
life’s story. For I, says the Lord, will
be a wall of fire all around her, and I will be the glory in her midst. (Zechariah 2:5)
Blessed is the woman to whom the LORD
does not impute iniquity, And in whose spirit there is no negativity. (Psalm
32:2)
May the celebration of Jesus' birth be a living joy in you
You are loved
Lyndi
No comments:
Post a Comment