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“Apologizing doesn’t always mean you’re wrong and the other person is right. It means you value your relationship more than your ego”. Think about that… relationships are so important. And let’s face it, they have their ups and downs. Are you willing to be the better person? If not, you might find out you’re the bitter person. .

The greatest source of happiness is the ability to be grateful at all times in all situations. A week or so ago, I told Jerry I wanted to see the Christmas lights in St. Louis. We were about to meet our daughter for supper at PF Changs when she texted us that she was iced in (4:30) So Jerry and I decided to head back to Fairfield. Bumper to bumper traffic, semis off in ditches, and moving 5 miles an hour if we were fortunate seemed to be our evening entertainment. What started out as an ordinary day turned into quite an adventure! I saw the lights all right…thousands of lights from trucks and cars as far as the eye could see. About 11:30, we made it to Hucks in Mt.Vernon and I have never been so grateful to see a bathroom in all my life. AND to top it all off, I had a delicious bologna and cheese sandwich. Little things mean a lot!

If you’re counting someone else’s blessings MORE than you’re counting yours, jealousy is knocking at your door. Jealousy has a way of leaving us in a constant state of unrest. We want more than what we have and we become resentful if we don’t get it. Next comes the blame game. We blame God, our spouses, or our circumstances when we don’t get what we want and we are always wanting more. We truly need to repent! Paul said, “In whatsoever state I’m in, I am content!!” It’s a good way to live.

    I have two words to say that will radically change your life: Forgive yourself. It would be great if life had a rewind button but it doesn’t. We walk through it one time and one time only. Living a life of regrets and shame will keep us from forgiving ourselves. We don’t seem to have a problem understanding that God has forgiven us. God is not pleased when we continue beating ourselves up instead of realizing we have a job to do and it doesn’t involve the past. Not forgiving ourselves does one thing: it makes us miserable over and over again. God doesn’t want us to walk in ANY kind of unforgiveness. Now would be a great time to take care of that matter.

We think God is doing one or two things in our lives, but if we could see the big picture, we would know that thousands of details are being arranged by the God who loves us. He has planned an amazing future for each one of us! Never be discouraged when you can’t see how something could possibly work out…God has you covered!

Amidst all the joy and holiday laughter it’s easy to forget that there are some people who can slip through the cracks unnoticed. For some people this is a lonely time of year. In James, it tells us about some who are in danger of needing help. It says “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress”. Look around you. There are all kinds of hurting, lonely people. Some have lost a loved one, and whether it’s a spouse, a parent, a child, or a friend, the holidays just aren’t the same. It’s important that we remember them. And there are so many children who may not be orphans physically but emotionally they are desperate for love. Their parents are just too busy to care. Pay attention to those in your neighborhood, in the church, in the stores. Is there something you could do to brighten their world and let them know someone cares? What about people who aren’t in contact with their family or people who feel left out by those around them? Loneliness comes in lots of shapes and sizes but the results are the…