On a Positive Note

Give thanks and praise to Jehovah. He's good, all the time. All the time, He's good.

Yesterday was the Prefectural Level English Speech Contest. Two of the three students who performed from my school were placed in the top 5. Reiko (name changed) was one of them. For the past two years she tried without success at the local level. In fact, she had her first try at such a competition when she was a grade 6 elementary school student. Finally, now in her third year of junior high school she got the 1st prize at the local level and now 2nd place at the Prefectural Level. I feel blessed to be a part of this moment.

Last night before I fell asleep, I thought about how I've always thought negatively about myself, and so the time has come for me to develop and cultivate good thoughts about myself. My new favorites:

• I am loved by others
• I love myself
• I am a woman of good understanding, a beautiful countenance.

The next thing is I feel so free. "Perfect love casteth out all fear" has really opened my eyes. I don't feel so afraid of moving forward with things or when thinking about what to do in the future. I am not so afraid of making mistakes or living up to expectations. I am not so afraid of not knowing what to do.

This morning at school, I was reading a few verses from Nehemiah 9. Some favorite verses and why I like them:

....... and thou preservest them all (v. 6)  

• This tells me that God preserves me

....... thou knewest that they dealt proudly against them (v. 10)        

• God knows when people ill treat me.

....... thou art a God slow to anger, ready to pardon, gracious and merciful (v. 17)

• This pretty much explains itself!

This next verse really grabbed my attention and spoke to me on a deep level:

...... thou subduest them and gave them in their hands, that they might do with them as they would (v. 24)

• This is telling me that victory is mine for the taking. I am free to make use of whatever opportunities are before me. In other words, the ball is in my court!

Cross. Angry. Miserable.

Well, yesterday was payday! Thank God for work. This past week, I had reason to rejoice when three students at my school who participated in an English Speech Contest received individual first prizes, and the school also received the overall first prize. I wasn't able to attend the competition. When I arrived at work yesterday, the Vice Principal showed me the trophy and told me thank you. I appreciated that.


In other good news, I felt like I was about to catch a cold. But when I wanted to worry about it, I felt like God said to me, "Have a little faith." So I did what I could which was to have two raw pegs of garlic which I cut finely and had with my dinner. The next morning, the stuffy feeling in my nose was gone. Yay! God cares about every little area of our lives. My husband and I ate raw garlic with our dinner everyday during the last winter period and neither of us got sick. That was my first sick-free winter since I've lived in Japan. Garlic rocks!


         

Now on to why I was feeling cross, angry and miserable. Far too often I feel as if I'm up one day and down the next. Fear. Doubt. Anxiety. They are the primary culprits. So I said, "NO SAH. Dis nuh right." I felt annoyed at the way I was feeling. You know, I don't like feeling down. Who does, right? So I had to get cross, angry and miserable with the constant negative thoughts and emotions. I thought about how I was feeling and I said:-

1. Life is life. You will have highs and lows. No big deal.

2. Fear is just simply: False Evidence Appearing Real. Plain LIE. 












3. Why not for once believe the best about myself?

4. Not by might. Nor by power. But by God's Spirit.














I was also reminded that:-

"Behold! I have given you authority and power to trample upon serpents and scorpions, and physical and mental strength and ability over all the power that the enemy possesses; and nothing shall in any way harm you." Luke 10:19.

Well, what can I say, I made it through the rest of the day quite well. :)