Siggy's Blurbs: Siggy's Edge of Country …

It is so easy to become unhappy.  It is so easy to center on what you don’t have.  I have to center on the multiple blessings I have been given:  food, shelter, a loving wife.  Humans have the capacity to want things they don’t have.  It only makes me unhappy.  For the rest of the Christmas season and New Year I will thank the Lord for the many blessings I have been given.  There is so much I have to thank the Lord for.  I will think about those things the rest of the year.

Tags: blessings, Christmas, count your blessings, food and shelter, God, gratitude, it is so easy to become unhappy, loving wife, multiple blessings, New Year, thank God, thank the Lord
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Every day I have to thank God for his blessings.  I will repeat this over and over.  I owe Him everything.  Every provision.  My health.  Everything.  I get into trouble when I take Him for granted.  I, also, have to remind myself life, also, is not fair.  Every day I have to thank Him for every moment.  I owe Him everything.  Every blessing.  Every breath I take.

Tags: blessings, owe Him everything, thank God, thank God for His blessings, thank Him
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It is so easy to take your blessings for granted.  Today I was grateful I could also buy some bananas along with a gallon of milk.  It is near the end of the month and we are running out of cash.  I was grateful I could buy what I could.  It is always revealing what you would buy if you are down to your last dollar.  It is so easy to take your blessings for granted.  God owns everything.  I had to remind myself of that.

Tags: banana, blessings, cash, God, God owns everything, gratitude, milk, take for granted, your last dollar
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One must face life with a spirit of gratitude.  There is less and more in this world.  And troubles abound.  And it is so easy to point your finger at God and say, “Why!?”  There is no disputing the world is unfair but the only way to face it (???) with love and gratitude toward the Maker.

Thank Him for all your blessings.  God does not owe you anything.  Sometimes your basket is half empty and other times it is half full.  Everything in your life is by grace and the only way to face it is to have a spirit of gratitude.

It is too easy to rail at God for disappointing you.  The only solution is to thank God for all your blessings and trials.  Life is, indeed, precious so face it with courage and again gratitude.  That is, truly, the only way.

Tags: blessings, courage, everything-is-by-grace, God, gratitude, life is precious, love and gratitude, spirit of gratitude, thank God, thank Him for all your blessings, the Maker, trials
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Sometimes life is fair.  Sometimes it isn’t.  And sometimes it never is.  I am reminded of the famous anecdote of Eisenhower whose mother told him what you have to do is deal with the hand you are dealt with.  The fact life is not fair.  Some people appear to have it very easy.  They have no money worries.  Their life seems to flow.  And there is no doubt money (the lack of) can cause quite a bit of worry.

The fact is we are all unequally gifted.  Some people are very talented:  can do almost anything and be successful.  Some people have more.  Some people have less.  Envy can eat at you.  There is a good reason “Thou shall not covet” is one of the ten commandments.

But when you rail at the higher powers for being so unfair with your worldly station, it only leads to problems and dissatisfaction.  Pray to God with thanksgiving.  There is a reason for that advice in the Bible.

Otherwise we are this whining entity wanting this and that from above.  I think of God being above and millions maybe billions of strings are pulling at him all wanting it a different way.  Realizing everything is by grace and thanking God for all your blessings corrects your dissatisfaction with your life.

Insisting on God (or a higher power) being fair only can frustrate you.  Because life is NOT FAIR.  The serenity prayer is worth repeating and these are not the exact words:  what is in your control change, accept what isn’t and have the wisdom to know the difference.  These are not the exact words but it gets the point across.  Grab the control in your life you can, realize what you have no control of.  And accept the results.  That is the beginning of wisdom.

Tags: accept the results, balance, Bible, blessings, deal the hand you are dealt, Eisenhower, envy, everything-is-by-grace, fairness, gifts, God, knowledge, learning, life is not fair, money, pray to God, relationships, serenity prayer, take control in your life of what you can, talent, ten commandments, thanking God, thanksgiving, thou shall not covet, wisdom
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Less is always more.  One of the ten commandments is, ‘Thou shall not covet.’  I did not realize for awhile I was breaking that commandment all the time or even it was one of the commandments.  Things are always distributed unequally in this world.  Some people have more.  Some less.  That is reality.  The trick is to be happy with what you have.  I do not like game shows and lotteries because both pander to greed.  God gives to each of us abundantly.  He only promises food and shelter.  Everything else is given to you by serendipity.  The poor will always exist in this world.  We are commanded to help the less fortunate.  In fact, if it is in your power to perform a good deed and you don’t it is a sin.  Thank God for all your blessings all the time and help the less fortunate.  Again, I will quote Mother Teresa:  ‘Do small things with great love.’  Never forget your blessings.  And always pray to God with thanksgiving.

Tags: 'do small things with great love', balance, be happy with what you have, Bible, blessings, covet, God, God gives abundantly, God's grace, greed, help the less fortunate, less is more, Mother Teresa, pray to God with thanksgiving, serendipity, ten commandments, thank God, thank God for all your blessings, thanksgiving, thou shall not covet
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