Today

I do not know what will happen tomorrow, but I am thankful for today.  Today I am healthy with breath in my lungs.  I am thankful for today.  I do not know what tomorrow holds.  Thank you.

Exposure

Inside of You I see it.

You are the result of something that seems

beyond the bounds of possibility.

I once held myself too open. I forgot

that dark exposure is outside of You.

Inside of You I see it.

You are the healer of our exposed 

minds.  You can close the window that 

was once exposed.  Make your

 home there, teach me your gift of 

giving thanks. I find You amidst it.  

Confronting and Controlling Thoughts

Where are your thoughts today?

"The mind is the battlefield where man first meets with sin.  It is the frontier wherein mankind encounters its grim archenemy, the devil.

           It is not strange that the enemy should choose man's mind as the battlefield for waging his ferocious struggles.  Psychologists say that the mind is the crown atop the human body which directs our actions and behavior whether we are awake or asleep; it controls feelings, awareness, emotions, the will, and thoughts as well.  Thus is man's mind the center that controls human behavior.

             Therefore if man is defeated in this battlefield, it is the devil that is then in possessions of all man's talents and capabilities.  Along with this the devil, as we know him, is a mental force with powers that are extraordinary and varied.  However, in spite of all this, he still does not have access to us except through our minds.  This is an important fact that many of us need to be aware of - especially those struggling in the realm of virtue, righteousness, and chastity.  For although the devil is a formidable spiritual power, the sphere of his activity against man is quite limited.  He cannot approach anyone except through the mind, the only part of our nature that is susceptible to doing battle with him - the mind is the target of his attacks."

                         -Orthodox monk, Father Matta El-Maskeen

Guard your thoughts and be freed from the devil.  That is why God commanded us:

"Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things."  Phillipians 4:8

Receiving Joy.

"Joy is a net of love by which you can catch souls.  

A joyful heart is the inevitable result of a heart burning with love." 

-Mother Theresa

Love is selfless.  I have found that once I lose my self-love and realize that this life is all about the One who created me, I usually begin laughing.  

A joyful laugh.  

I laugh because once I come to the realization that I am not the center, a burden comes off of me and I am immediately filled with 

JOY.

Joy comes from His love.  

My mother in this picture is a perfect example.  I am dressed in my baptismal dress and my mother in her selfless love...gave everything to her children....all while exuding

JOY.  

We must just now receive this Joy, by submitting our selves to the One who first loved us.