A lovely sunshiney day in the West Lawn |
I was walking along in the sunshine yesterday and I was struck
with this thought 'I am so happy'. I wasn't doing anything spectacular (I was
buying sweatshirts for the girls to start Cubs that night), my view was not
very impressive (an industrial estate in Hastings) and it was not even as if
all was perfect and right in my little world (I'd just spent £100 on new tyres
and I had stomach ache) but in that precious moment I felt content and happy
and as I bought a burger and diet coke from a snack van I decided to embrace it
and reveal in the moment, so I sat there with a big smile on my face and
enjoyed before I drove back to work.
It got me thinking about happiness. I know for many it is a
pursuit, something they are actively going after but as a Christian that does
not feel right to me. Of course there is nothing at all wrong with happiness
and it is good to enjoy the happy times but my pursuit is something different.
To be happy is not my primary purpose, it is just an enjoyable by product of
trying to live my life in the way God intended me to.
If you regularly read this blog you'll know I'm an honest sort
and I put everything out there and it seems that sometimes this leaves people
worrying about me and wondering if I'm OK and I am. If you were to ask me I'd
say that I believe this blog is far more positive and upbeat than down but
often my Mum shows concern when I see her, saying she has read something on the
blog and am I OK?
So as my 'I feel happy' thought floated through my head yesterday
I pondered on how much of the time I could honestly say I have that feeling of
contentment or joy and my instant gut reaction was about 90%, now that can't be
bad, can it? It might even be more than that, it is very little of the time
that I allow things to get to me or to feel sad and dwell on things. I really
don't have much in my life that is bad. The main thing that normally gets me
down is my weight and I'm even learning to accept me and the way I look and the
Slimpod I'm listening to each day is helping me with that. Yes it would be good
to lose weight but I have to come to a place of acceptance and I need to learn
to forgive myself for what I have allowed to happen to my body.
As I write this it is 10am Wednesday and I'm sat in a cafe and
again I feel quite content, so in the spirit of Reasons to be cheerful (which I
linking this post up to) here are the little things that have made me smile and
feel thankful already this morning -
- Waking to the sound of the birds singing outside my window (I love living in the countryside)
- Taking a hot shower without any children wanting me
- The kids being ready and heading off to school with no issues
- The beautiful sunshine as we all leave our coats at home
- A yummy full English breakfast that I ended up leaving half of as I was full
- A couple of pairs of new Adidas track suit bottoms from the charity shop for JJ
- I'm now going to my church small group to spend time with a wonderful bunch of encourager's
Life is good, I hope it is for you too. Why don't you link a
gratitude/happy post up to Reasons to be cheerful too. It is being hosted overat Jo's this month.
Have a blessed week, Mich x
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