“But the fruit of the Spirit [the result of His presence within us] is love [unselfish concern for others], joy, [inner] peace, patience [not the ability to wait, but how we act while waiting], kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such things there is no law.” Galatians 5:22-23 AMP

I love people. I mean, I genuinely love and cherish other people. From what my grandmother told me, I have always been that way. My close friends and family members have often commented that I “give the best hugs.” I remember seeing a “Family Circus” cartoon in the newspaper once where it showed one of the children in several different moments hugging people in her life. The caption read, “God invented hugs to let people know you love them without saying anything.” My mind, naturally, took the thought a bit further to the realization that God must also use hugs as a way of showing us HIS love through our connections with one another.

When I first took on a position as a supervisor, I was nervous about whether or not I would make a good leader for that team. While I had many areas that needed development, one thing I was able to give my team was genuine love and concern for their needs and well-being. It was important to me that they felt heard and cared for, regardless of my skills in regard to the general mechanics of the position. What I learned from my time with those amazing people was that genuine love and concern for others is one thing I always have to give those around me. It is a gift I am so grateful the Lord saw fit to place in my heart.

It’s easy to go through life blaming our mistakes and issues on the trials and tribulations we faced as children, whether it was an abusive or drug-addicted parent, neglect, instability, etc. But that isn’t going to get anybody anywhere other than stuck where they are, which is in the past. There comes a time in life when our decisions, both good and bad, are our own. When facing the consequences of those decisions, we have nobody to blame but ourselves. That is the burden we bear with the gift of free-will.

I often hear non-believers bemoan the “restrictions” and the lack of freedom they see in a life devoted to Jesus Christ. All I feel when I hear this is sadness, because I’ve come to understand that true freedom is found in that very devotion. It is not a mindless following, but instead a very thoughtful and heartfelt journey. There is so much peace available to anyone who truly gives their life over to God and the Savior. Yes, we are asked to set down our own worldly desires and expectations, keeping our hearts and minds open to the life God designed for us, and I’m here to tell you that it is not an easy thing to do. But I can also tell you it is so very worth the effort!

I am learning to understand that I don’t need anything in my life that the good Lord hasn’t place there, and when I allow myself to get stuck in angst and worry over the things I don’t have, I am allowing myself to be controlled by the world and my life in those moments no longer belongs to Christ. When I relax and rely on the trust I have in the goodness of God, realizing that I have everything He needs me to have, then there is nothing for me to worry or be anxious about. I want my life to be exactly what it was designed to be. I want to stay out of God’s way and let Him accomplish whatever He needs through me and my gifts.

The blessings in my life are more numerous than I can possibly count, and I refuse to continue allowing myself to be dragged down by my earthly needs and expectations. I have so much to offer in this life, so much love to give and so much support to offer those around me, and it is my primary goal to keep my focus on those things, where it belongs. Every time I start to feel my mind and my spirit drift back into the heaviness brought on by a worldly perspective, I will choose to push the focus back to the things of the Lord. I will choose to be mindful of the blessings and gifts God has placed in my life, as I know I have everything He needs me to have. I will choose to leave the worry of what I feel is missing from my life to Him, knowing that He will bring those things along when the time is right, and not a minute before then.

“For we are His workmanship [His own master work, a work of art], created in Christ Jesus [reborn from above–spiritually transformed, renewed, ready to be used] for good works, which God prepared [for us] beforehand [taking paths which He set], so that we would walk in them [living the good life which He prearranged and made ready for us].” Ephesians 2:10 AMP

The photos below give but a tiny glimpse of some of my most precious blessings!!! Take a few minutes to think of a few of your own, and then consider where your focus tends to stay…on the things you have, or on the things you don’t.