Good evening! For the next 29 days, I will be on a mission trip to Vietnam. During that time, I will have new blogs each night from guest authors! (Also, on many nights, I will post pictures from my trip here!) For the next 27 evenings, my spot will be filled by my dear sister in Christ, Trina Agee Cornell! Trina and I went through many mission trips together and I have been a guest in Trina's and her husband, Bob's home. Please keep me in your prayers!
Question #1
I spent an afternoon at Barnes and Noble a few months ago – this is a place where I could spend hours upon hours. As a reading specialist by trade – and a reader by nature – it makes sense. On this particular trip, I found a book, tucked away with the journals in their display, called 3,000 Questions About Me. I opened it and started thumbing through – and I have to admit, I was quite intrigued. I started looking through the questions, thinking about what my responses would be. I knew I just had to get it – the book sat at my house for a month, collecting dust. I finally pulled it out and decided to answer one page of questions a day. 3,000 questions can be overwhelming – but how do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time! As I answer my page of questions each day, I read the question – and I put what immediately comes to mind. I do not overthink them – I answer them honestly and openly. My series of blog posts will focus on certain questions that I believe get to the core of who I am – as a wife, mother, and a child of God.
1. What is your idea of perfect happiness?
The very first question of the book piqued my interest – especially the phrase, “perfect happiness”. What does that mean to me? When I answered this question, my mind went directly to my family. My idea of “perfect happiness” is spending time with my people – the people I love the most. I am at my happiest when I am in the midst of my husband, Bob, and my son, Connor, who is almost two years old. These two are my world – I am blessed to be able to do life with my best friend – and raise our little boy together.
I have learned over time that happiness is a choice – it is a conscious decision that you make for yourself every day. You have the power to decide the way that you approach each new day – your outlook determines your course of action. This daily decision can set you up for success – or it can set you up for failure. I am an early riser by default – I function much better when I get my day started before the sun rises. I spend time at the gym, working on myself in a number of ways – I cultivate my physical, mental, and spiritual health during my workout time. I spend time with weight machines and the cross trainer – while I get my cardio in, I read my Bible app, read through my devotions and blogs (including this one), journal, and catch up on emails and messages. All of this together puts my mind in the right place – and helps me to choose happiness each and every day. I cannot say that I get it right every day – but even if things go sideways, I strive to remain positive – and rely on the Lord. He told us we would have tough times – in James, He tells us to “count it all joy” when we face trials, because we know that we will be stronger for them in the end. It is hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel – and it may not make sense in the moment. In these times, we can hold fast to these words – and know that the Lord is with us through them. “Perfect happiness” is a lofty goal – and possible to find, when you seek the Lord in all that you do.
God bless,
Steve
Luke 18:1
E-mail me at steve@hawleybooks.com
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