Happy Switch...

Cloudy...
Cool...
Serene...
Birds singing...
Girls quietly reading on the couch...
Jim Brickman playing in the CD player...
Nala resting quaintly...

School is well underway for the day...

 

I text a close friend this morning to see how she was doing regarding some health issues she is currently facing & in the midst of the conversation, she made mention of yesterday's post & how happy I seemed. :) I told her that the happiness that was conveyed in yesterday's post was very real but was very fleeting. I hadn't even completely finished it when a wave of despair washed over my being. Just as soon as I typed how nearly perfect & good my day was, Satan slipped right in & nearly stole the "goodness" from me. I was overwhelmed, agitated, annoyed, unmotivated, sad, removed & quite frankly, sinful! My thoughts went from high to low in a matter of milliseconds... My attitude immediately went from positive to negative in the blink of an eye... My words were brash... My outlook grim... My countenance ungodly... How does that happen anyway???

Kyle came home, picked me up & renewed my focus! When he arrived after work I was flat on the floor & MaKayla was massaging my head. I was whining & complaining being a less-than-desirable wife & mom... He laid down beside me, kissed my forehead & told me how much he loved me. ♥ We laughed together, chatted with the girls & then headed outside to do some yard/garden work. In the midst of heading out the door, the girls & I sneaked into the Oreo stash from the deep freeze!?! :) Yum-oh!

I many times wonder why I allow such a drastic turn of events to take place in my heart, my mind & my spirit. As I told my friend this morning, I wish I had a "happy switch"... A switch that I had control over as to whether it were on or off... Of course, I would always "choose" to have it on... Who wouldn't? Don't we ALWAYS want to be happy? But then it occurred to me, I DO have a "happy switch"... God gives me a choice of my attitude, my actions, my thoughts, my character, my countenance, my words, and each of those choices & the fruit therein, begins with the condition of my heart.

So many times my heart isn't "conditioned" to endure the situations & circumstances that I might be faced with on any given day. The condition of my heart is my choice and is determined by how much time I commit to prayer & how much time I spend in God's Word. It's affected by how often I am in fellowship with other believers & how much intimate time I spend with Jesus. Many times the condition of my heart is contingent upon my obedience to the Holy Spirit and how willingly and faithfully I am submitting to my husband. All of these things strengthen the condition of my heart.

On the flip-side, many things deteriorate the condition of my heart. Thinking on things that don't pertain to me. Dwelling on something that I have no control over. Reading things on facebook that fail to edify my walk with Christ & put me in a critical frame-of-mind. Being envious of another person's accomplishments or possessions. Falling into the pit of discontentment. Time spent on activities that will never encourage fruit in my life. Trying to be in control of situations/circumstances that I can't change.

So...after helping Kyle in the garden, fixing a yummy supper for my family, listening to MaKayla share a great deal of insight out of the current book she is reading, taking a nice hot bath, enjoying the evening visiting with one of my closest friends, crawling into a warm comfortable bed, spending time reading God's Word and then snuggling close to the man of my dreams as I drifted off to sleep ♥, my unconditioned heart was well on it's way to being conditioned again.

Today I am choosing to keep the "happy switch" on... :)

(He truly is the MOST PRECIOUS little guy... ♥ ♥ ♥ )

A happy heart makes the face cheerful, but heartache crushes the spirit.

Proverbs 15:13

 

A cheerful disposition is good for your health;
   gloom and doom leave you bone-tired. 

Proverbs 17:22