Author: Jennifred Jones

What Are We Going to Do?

Jennifred Jones

Today at work a very dear lady, concerned about the status of world events began to tell me all that she had heard from her sources. Others have told me their thoughts from their sources. They conflict.

I began to stew over things and was feeling down.  I like to think of myself as a positive type person, ready to see the good in things, but this left me seeing the worst.

I had to get centered again on what I know to be true.

Years ago when I first came to faith in Jesus, I was in a similar stew…in my early 20s, life was just getting started, and there were so many tough world events going on that seemed impossible to solve. My mind was in a twirl.

I desperation I said, “God show me what to think!”

Shortly after that I saw the verse Philippians 4:8. It says to ‘fix your thoughts on what is true, and good, right, pure, lovely. Think about what is excellent and worthy of praise’.

I guess I didn’t have to worry about everything going on and keep informed on every negative event in the world…out of my control anyway.

I’m gonna pray, but not let things eat me up with worry, I’m gonna enjoy and live the life I have, that I am responsible to God and my family for.

We can allow, I said allow because it is our choice, ourselves to concentrate, focus, listen to, talk about everything negative until it’s all consuming… trying to solve and fix problems too big for us, that we don’t see our kids playing happily outside. We don’t enjoy the pretty spring day feeling the sunshine, we aren’t thinking of making something beautiful for another person. We have reverted to survival mode.

God is aware of all these happenings, yet He isn’t up there worrying. He is still sending rain, warm weather, baby animals.  The sun is still rising, the grass is greening again, trees will bud and leaf out. We will harvest crops again. In other words, He is still giving life and providing for life.

In the midst of trouble, God is not a God of scarcity, He sends abundance.

What we are going to do is change our focus from majoring on what’s bad and begin to see and major on what’s beautiful, happy, good.

What is one good thing I can focus on today?

The Army of Good

Jennifred Jones

There’s an army of good arising. Join it!

All over we’re seeing signs saying, ‘Be Kind’, ‘Be the Good’, ‘Kindness Matters’.

Many are standing their ground that our country, our world, people in general need goodness and kindness expressed towards them!

There are no qualifications necessary to join this army, no weapons or armor needed…not even a general,  lieutenant or sergeant telling us what to do. We get to set our own schedule, march to our own beat, wear our own clothes, prepare our own foodstuffs, (no K-rations involved here).

All we need to do is be on the lookout. Lookout for what?

Lookout for wherever good needs to be advanced!

This is not hard to do friends 🙂

First begin with you:

Be good to you. Take care of yourself body, soul, mind and spirit. Think on good things.

Be good to your surroundings. Keep your habitation clean and orderly. (It will make you feel better.)

Be good at your job. Get along with others. Look for ways to improve and grow. Encourage your co-workers.

Be good to your neighbors and ‘hood. Keep your yard tidied. Plant some flowers to cheer things up a bit.

Be good to strangers. Smile at somebody. Say ‘Hi’ to another human. Put on a fresh face and dress attractively for you…that alone can encourage another person.

Be good where you shop. Put your cart back in the cart return. Take items you don’t want back to where you got them instead of leaving socks hidden in the canned goods aisle, or clothes hanging in pots and pan section (Thank you Joyce Meyer for this tidbit) After all someone else will have to clean up after you…

Be good to your family. Write gramma a letter. Go visit uncle. Say thank you and please to each other.

Be a good responsible driver. Your family and others need you to arrive safely in one piece.

Basic stuff this is…all things I have to implement each day too.

I  want to do better tomorrow and motivate others by my actions.

Let’s fight together in our army of good!

Touching Spring!

Jennifred Jones

Today I touched spring!

It’s a lovely 70 degree sunny day, one of the first for our area amidst the bleak brown grassy roadsides and stick-bare trees.

I had to go outside and walk. Opening windows and looking outside wasn’t enough. Going from work to car and from car to home didn’t count either.

Behind my office building, up tight to the brick wall this morning, was a clump of valiant violets…3 were in bloom!!! On my walk after work the honeysuckle bushes were starting to bud at the tips of the branches.

Spring! ‘I’ve got to touch spring’ I said aloud to myself and touched the tender green leaflets! It was like a connection with newness, fresh starts, bright beginnings, all the things we love about spring.

Further on my walk was a big puddle in a grassy ditch. It was clear as ever and filled with a host of small round bright green leaves glowing through the water as the sun shone down.

Tomorrow, I will pick the violets and place on my desk…a reminder that we can always begin again. All we need to do is reach out and touch it…perhaps in our mind’s eye at first, but knowing we are beginning again.

The hope of spring!

Never give up!

God made life and new growth.

God said to us, “LIVE!”

Let’s all begin a fresh new day tomorrow!