I’m so excited to share an encouraging post from a guest, Kathy Carlton Willis. She calls herself “God’s Grin Gal” and she not only wears a grin but puts a grin on other people’s faces. Plus, she helps others put grins on those they reach out to. She’s just an encouragement all around and has encouraged me so many times.
Enjoy her words and be sure to check out her website: www.KathyCarltonWillis.com
Where Does that Grin Come From?
by Kathy Carlton Willis
I’m often asked, “How can you keep grinning despite the challenges in your life? It has nothing to do with me. It has to do with the God in whom I put my trust. Knowing “He’s got this” helps me carry on (in hope) rather than to carry on (complain)!
Grinning instead of grimacing comes from the discipline of thinking on glorious victorious thoughts outside the current stinky situation.
First I get my imaginary lariat out and wrangle those negative thoughts. TWEET THAT!
We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ. (2 Corinthians 10:5 ESV)
Once I evict those destructive thoughts, I fill the void with healthful and helpful thoughts. Thoughts that line up with the mind of Christ.
Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. …Then the God of peace will be with you. (Philippians 4:8b-9 NLT)
If I practice this passage in Philippians, it might look something like this. I’m going to fix my thoughts on what is:
-
True: I remember the extreme way God answered my prayer to provide for our family.
-
Honorable: I’m blown away by the way that writer stays humble when others try to put her on a pedestal.
-
Right: I respect the decision this politician made to choose an unpopular but godly path.
-
Pure: How precious the gift of life is when I see photos of the much prayed for Lyla.
-
Lovely: How beautiful are the wildflowers dressing up that field.
-
Admirable: I see integrity in the choice Russ made to not malign a wrongdoer.
-
Excellent: I respect how she endures through her weight-training routine.
-
Worthy of praise: God’s faithfulness is something I can count on.
Are you having a hard time grinning this week? TWEET THAT!
What will your fix list look like?
Share with Kathy and I which item in the Philippians 4:8-9 passage you want to concentrate on this week. We’d love to chat with you. Which one is the easiest for you or hardest for you? Let’s get the conversation going in the comment section below. You have lots to share with us all!
Thanks for hosting my article on your site. As is often God’s timing, He’s allowed me yet another opportunity to practice the principles of this article the last two weeks as I deal with the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey. I’m still without electricity and water is at half-pressure with a boil order in effect. Yet, I’ve been able to grin—a lot. Only God can do that! I’d love to hear how the rest of you focus on God-thoughts instead of destructive thoughts during disastrous times (and really, every day has some sort of drama going on!)?
Oh, Kathy, thank you for this update, though sad for us to hear, we want to hear so that we can continue to pray for you and everyone affected by Harvey. Our hearts are encouraged to hear of your faithful trust in God when I’m sure there are many blaming God.
My readers: if you are being affected by the aftermath of Harvey or you are anticipating being affected by Hurricane Irma threatening Florida and the gulf, please alert us here how we can pray for you can come alongside you.
Or if you have any prayer requests because any kind of “hurricane” like health, etc, is threatening you, please let us know.
Kathy: do you personally know of an effective ministry that is helping that we can support and thus support you?
Hello my readers. In my discussion here in the Comments section, I asked Kathy Carlton Willis, who is still experiencing challenges at her house and around the community because of Hurricane Harvey, to let us know if there’s any way we can help. She is planning to gather gift cards from anyone who wants to help. She will then distribute those along with baked goods as she sees a need in her neighborhood and community. And she’ll offer to pray with people and be a listening ear. I know she’ll represent the Lord beautifully in reaching out. If you would like to find out more information, you can email her at [email protected]. Let’s all continue to pray that the Lord will shine and be glorified through His people representing Him in every challenge the United States is facing.