life

Little Ripples of Faith

/ Christine Maynor / Leave a comment

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Backstory:
Some days because of my chronic illness my body is in so much pain and I am just beyond exhausted that it is hard for me to be happy. I know I’m human and it’s just hard to keep that happy and joyful feeling going. But I think that when I feel happy, it is a great feeling and I want to keep it going. I don’t like feeling depressed and grumpy. I would rather be happy. I think most of us are like that.

Little Ripples of Faith

I was talking with my therapist about faith starting out small,
And if we nurture our faith then it will grow into a big tree and it can be so tall.
So then she asked me, “what else like faith can be like that and all?”
Right then I couldn’t think of much but then I felt like I needed to answer that call.

I have thought and pondered about this and have formulated a plot,
I asked my family and friends what they thought.
So I have a few favorite ideas to share but I will just give you a snapshot,
But my favorite idea is that joy and happiness can start out small and grow over time into a lot.

I think most humans desire to feel joy and happiness,
But there are some times when my mind can get caught up in all of my life’s craziness.
Then I have noticed that if I start feeling happy then I can feel all of that greatness,
But some days it’s hard to keep that feeling alive when I have feelings of darkness.

So then I thought that when I start to be happy then it could be like a little ripple in a river,
If you throw a small rock into a river it starts out as a small ripple that can grow into bigger ripples downriver.
So if you start to be happy and it starts out small but you keep it up then it can really deliver,
Then once it gets bigger it can make you feel so good that it could make you quiver.

I have been trying to practice that more in my brain,
Some days it is harder than other days when my body is in so much pain.
But my spirit loves feeling happy and I really want this feeling to remain,
And I think that feeling that way I have a lot to gain.

The Takeaway: We all have days when it is harder to be happy than other days. But we are here to have joy. Yes we are human and some days are harder than others. But if we start to have faith and be happy then it will keep going. God wants us to be happy.

Finding God Beyond the Noise

/ Christine Maynor / Leave a comment

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Backstory:
I have a few hobbies I use as distractions sometimes. I like to listen to audiobooks while my husband is at work and that distracts me from my problems most of the time. I have always loved to read from when I was little. I love to get lost in the storyline of a good book. I also like to color and that can distract me while it also relaxes me. I listen to faith-promoting podcasts as well. I think that those are good distractions most of the time if they are uplifting books and podcasts. But I also think that in this modern world, we are constantly distracted by our phones and other devices and that might not be a good thing. So for me, writing has been a good way to write down my thoughts and feelings. It also helps me to understand how I am feeling and what I am thinking while I am not distracted by other things around me.

Finding God Beyond the Noise

In this modern world we have a lot of things to distract us,
I think for me sometimes that can be a plus.
Some days my mind needs distractions so that I don’t make a fuss,
Then I get frustrated by little things and sometimes my problems I need to discuss.

I distract myself with listening to audiobooks and I feel like I get lost in the world of a book,
I can imagine myself sitting and relaxing next to a quiet brook.
My mind gets so lost in a book that I feel like a crook,
For when I am listening to a good story then my life takes on a brighter look.

I distract myself with coloring a page that starts out as black and white,
And by the time I am done it is quite a sight.
I enjoy writing down my feelings for it’s a good distraction for me to write,
Then I get really exhausted and there are less distractions at night.

I think it is good to have some distractions but it is also good to live in the moment and focus,
And if we don’t give ourselves time like that then our lives might seem kinda hopeless.
For sometimes if we have too many distractions then we might be put into hypnosis,
So for me I like to take a break sometimes and then my life I can refocus.

The Takeaway: We have a lot of distractions in this fast-paced world that can help us escape our lives. Those are good things as long as they are uplifting. But sometimes we need to let the distractions go and think about what we can learn in our experiences.

Seeing Life Through God’s Eyes

/ Christine Maynor / Leave a comment

Thank you for subscribing-may these words bring a quiet moment of peace and reflection to your day.

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Backstory:
I have an autoimmune disease and I have to be careful to not do too much during the day because my body just can’t handle as much as a normal healthy person can. Some days it is hard to change my perspective about my life and especially my health issues. But I also know that there are people out there who have it worse than I do. But still it can be hard to have a good day and a good state of mind when my body is feeling so awful and exhausted. This will probably be a lifelong pursuit for me to change my perspective because living with a chronic illness is not easy. It is harder on some days than other days to have a better perspective. 

Seeing Life Through God's Eyes

I realized lately that I complain quite a bit about my health and issues there,
Some days I wake up and of my pain in my body I am more aware.
And some days I think that my life is kind of unfair,
Some days it is hard because I can’t control how I’m going to feel physically so I feel some despair.

So I decided that I needed to change my perspective about this,
If I didn’t change how I thought then my blessings I might miss.
Even though sometimes all my life isn’t bliss,
Some days I really feel like because of my health my life is in crisis.

But I knew I needed to make a change in my mind,
If I didn’t I knew I would feel like my perspective would be blind.
I knew that if I changed my perspective then more blessings I would find,
And changing my way of thinking has put me in a better state of mind.

I decided to think of my health in a different way,
I know that this life isn’t the end and I should enjoy my life even when I am having a hard day.
I want to just think of the amazing feeling it will be when this life is over someday,
My body will be resurrected  and everything will be okay.

I’m very grateful that because of Jesus my friend,
That this pain whether it is emotional or physical will have an end.
So I can feel lighter and my new change of mind I don’t need to pretend,
Jesus suffered it all and way more than I can comprehend.

The Takeaway: Even though we have trials with our physical bodies, we shouldn’t dwell on our limitations and things that hold us back. We should be grateful that because of Jesus our bodies will be made whole again, we will be resurrected and there is hope because of Him.

Awakening the Senses to God

/ Christine Maynor / Leave a comment

Thank you for subscribing-may these words bring a quiet moment of peace and reflection to your day.

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Backstory:
My Mom had cataract surgery on her eyes recently. After she had one of her eyes done, she told me how much more clearly she could see and she noticed her blessings more after that experience. That made me think more about my blessings but especially about my physical body that is a gift from my Heavenly Father. I have so many blessings because of my body. But because of my chronic illness I sometimes don’t notice the blessings that my body provides me every day.I should remember what a blessing it is to have my body and all the blessings it can bring me.

Awakening the Senses to God

Sometimes I get bogged down because of my problems and fail to just be grateful for this beautiful world around me,
It was all created for us to enjoy by a loving Father and the beauty we need to see.
I love to look at the beautiful mountains and they fill my heart with glee,
I think we could all do better and about this we could agree.

Thinking about this made me think that I need to pay more attention to my 5 senses,
With my eyes I can see and appreciate all the creations that for me my Father blesses.
But sometimes all I focus on is just the messes,
And I need to change my focus and see my blessings with new lenses.

With my sense of smell I can smell a beautiful flower,
And I know that appreciating that would give my life more power.
I should smell beautiful things hour by hour,
But sometimes all I can smell because of my perspective is something sour.

With my mouth I can taste delicious food,
I love food but inside my mind I sometimes don’t appreciate it all and my life feels like it’s coming unglued.
With my ears I can hear beautiful music that usually put me in a good mood,
 And hearing beautiful music and sounds helps my mind stay glued.

And finally I can touch things like soft fabric,
Sometimes I find comfort in soft things that feel like magic.
But at times all I can see are my troubles and they seem really tragic,
But I just need to change my perspective and then maybe my life will seem more fantastic.

The Takeaway: We have a body for a reason. We are meant to learn and grow in this life. We couldn’t do that without our bodies. They are meant to be a gift to us from our Heavenly Father. We should be grateful for the mortal experiences we have and what we can learn from them.

The Great Conductor of My Life

/ Christine Maynor / Leave a comment

Thank you for subscribing-may these words bring a quiet moment of peace and reflection to your day.

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Backstory:
Growing up I always loved music, especially singing. My Mom recognized my singing talent at a young age. When I was 12 she put me in voice lessons. I was in choirs all through junior high, high school and some in college. So I always loved to sing and listen to good music. It was sometimes hard developing that talent. My Mom would have to remind me sometimes to practice my songs. When I was a teenager I sometimes didn’t want to practice. But I am really glad now that I developed that talent even though it was hard sometimes. I know that our Heavenly Father gives us talents to develop them and share them with others. I should be grateful for what He has given me and do what I can to share my talents with others.

The Great Conductor of My Life

I heard something profound on a podcast lately that has stayed with me,
It was said that God is the great conductor and we are musicians in a symphony.
We practice and we try our best to play in key,
But in the end we don’t know how it will play out but we may want to see.

God knows how things will turn out because He sees the end from the beginning,
He knows how we are going to sound even though we may be resisting.
We don’t know how things will turn out even though we may be winning,
But we just need to trust that the conductor knows what He is doing.

We might practice with all our hearts and try our hardest to succeed,
But because we are not perfect, our success is never guaranteed.
We don’t really know how to help ourselves and others with that they need,
But we just need to trust the conductor and follow His lead.

I love this metaphor because I love music and I can really relate to this,
Sometimes life is easier and we may think everything is bliss.
Then we have harder times and we may wonder where the Conductor is because we are in crisis,
But we don’t need to fear because He is always there and He will never leave us in a dark abyss.

The Takeaway: We need to remember when we go through hard times that we are never alone. We have a loving Heavenly Father who will help us navigate our journey. We can trust that He knows what He is doing and He has a plan for our lives.