JoAnna Lynn Oblander's Blog, page 52

I Would Rather Be what God Chose to Make Me…

Today’s quote may be more meaningful to me than to anyone else. I think that George MacDonald must have had a near death experience, like me, because he clearly understood that God would make more of him than he could even imagine making of himself. He also understood that God’s desire is to make something glorious and wonderful of each of us – not something dull, boring, or lackluster. If you could spend just a moment with God, you too would understand that He is a being of perfection, light, life, glory and abundance! He never desires for us to be minimized or to slip between the cracks. Instead, He desires for us to manifest abundance and all that is glorious and amazing! He knows us and He believes in us!

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Don’t Work to Survive. Work to Create Something that Survives You!

Happy Labor Day! What a blessing it is that we can work! I love that through our work, we can improve the world and help those around us! In the most menial of jobs, there are ways to make a positive impact! Work is about service. The best service is about caring! When we work with the mindset to not just complete a job but to do a job using the best of our abilities, we can’t help but make a difference! #work #labor day #service #Alexander Den Heijer

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You Have the Power….

You may think of yourself as one unit. In reality, you are a combination of your spirit and your body. In some way that I do not yet understand, our spirit and body is united while we remain alive in mortality. When I left my body during my near-death experience, my spirit remained very much alive. The part of me that feels and has emotions and thoughts is my spirit. I know that our spirits are immortal. We were given personal power by our creator before this world ever was. We continue to have that personal power. We have the power to choose, to learn, to rise above our difficulties and weaknesses! However, we must make a conscious choice to understand and to exercise our personal power. I hope you will use your personal power to make this world a better place! That is my personal goal! Our personal power is a priceless gift from God! I hope you have a wonderful weekend!

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If Your Only Prayer Said Thank You, That Would Be Enough…

Some of the most profound prayers I have ever experienced have been prayers in which I chose to just say thank you. Can you imagine being on the receiving side of your prayers? Do you ever let God know what you are thankful for? Do you ever let Him know that you are thankful for Him? That you love Him? I know that God will love you even if you are ungrateful but both you and He will benefit greatly from your gratitude! I hope you will give a prayer of gratitude a try today!

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Everything Has Beauty…

Here in Montana where I live, we have cold weather and sometimes it is very bitter cold. We also have snow – sometimes in great abundance. Not everyone who lives here in Montana is a fan of the cold or the snow. Personally, I love snow. I don’t always love the snow when it is making roadways icy and dangerous but I love seeing the crystalline transformation of the world that snow brings with it. I, instead, struggle to love the desert. I know that there are those individuals who love the desert. I think that if I took the time to learn more about the desert, I would appreciate it more than I do. I believe that beauty is so often a matter of perspective. I am reminded of the story of the violin being sold at an auction. No one valued it until someone took the time to play it. Once the master violinist took the instrument in his hands and played it, those present at the auction came to value the precious violin for the incredibly valuable instrument that it was. The same is true of so many things. We all have beauty. We all have value. We just have to see it! I know that God sees our value, our beauty, and our potential! He believes in our value and potential (and beauty) so much so that He ransomed His precious son for us. I can’t imagine ransoming one of my children. That alone tells me of the great value that God places on you and on me. So when you think about yourself – remember how beautiful God thinks you are and how valuable you are to Him. Your perspective may need some fine tuning but His is perfect!

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Whatever You Are…Be a Good One!

Whatever you are – whatever your strengths and talents are – you are meant to be a unique contribution to this world of ours! You have lots to offer this world! You have gifts to give that no one else can give! We are all meant to provide a positive contribution to this world! What is yours meant to be?

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Do All the Good That You Can!!!

This quote by John Wesley is so right on! Imagine the transformation that would take place in this world if we all lived by these words! What blessings would be the world’s collectively and what blessings would be ours individually! I think this takes the Golden Rule and defines it in a way that is unmistakably easy to understand! Let’s start out our week with the joy and fun of doing good to our fellow men!

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There are No Ordinary People…

Just like C.S. Lewis said, “There are no Ordinary People”. I could add – there are only people that believe that they are ordinary. As this week comes to a close, I hope you will take a moment and think about the fact that you are a gift to this world! Only you can decide to give this world the gift of you! I hope that buried deep inside your heart and fastened securely to your soul is a knowledge that you are loved and known completely by your Creator! I hope you have a wonderful weekend!

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We Are All Visitors from Heaven…

We are all visitors from heaven.  The fact that most of us don’t remember our existence there is a testament to three things:

The importance of our time on earth
The importance of developing faith
God’s love and mercy

In order to really learn, grow, and develop faith, our experience on earth had to be free of our memories of our existence with God. Developing faith in ourselves and in God would have been impossible if we were allowed to retain those memories. If we were allowed to remember our Eternal Father – we would know him and no faith would be required. I saw, during my return to heaven, that developing faith was the primary underlying reason for our need to have a mortal experience. Though our time in mortality is short in contrast to our eternal existence, what we do here and what we learn here is enormously important. I was shown in heaven that learning to love, serve, and develop our gifts was vital to the overall success of our lives here on earth. We can all identify with how we miss loved ones when we must be absent from them for extended periods of time. Though we don’t remember those we have left behind to come to this life, we have left loved ones behind in heaven. It is a blessing that our loving Father in Heaven protects our memories of our previous existence so that homesickness and missing our loved ones does not get in the way of our growth experiences here. When we understand that life is a faith developing and personal growth experience, it helps to give us a truer perspective of the bigger picture!

 

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Worry Does Not Empty Tomorrow of its Sorrow…

We all worry a little from time to time. However, when that worry becomes more than a brief moment and, instead, becomes a habitual way of life; it becomes a deterrent to our progress and our happiness. Worry and fear are both faith erasers. Where one or both are found, faith is eroded and/or non-existent. Faith and hope feed our progress. Worry and fear destroy our progress. God’s desire for us is to grow and flourish! He is not a God of fear and worry – He is a God of faith, hope and love! When you are inclined to worry, think about how God would want you to handle the situation? Would He want you to shrink with fear and worry? Or, would He want you to move forward with hope and faith? May your today be full of faith and strength!

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