comparison-the thief of all joy

"Comparison-the thief of all joy"

Tonight, my pastor made this quote in service, 

and it really had me thinking about how much those 6 simple words impacted us everyday. 

In day to day life I compare...

I compare myself to the girl next to me at the gym, 

I compare my clothes to people at work,

 I compare my car to the person driving beside me, 

I compare my hairstyle to the girl setting in front of me at the movies

....as humans in the raw....we compare. 

But, whenever we are always looking to the person beside us and not what God is calling us to be....thats when we loose Joy. To be happy in the state we in and not to strive for the things that we don't obtain. 

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 joy |joi|

noun

a feeling of great pleasure and happiness : tears of joy | the joy of being alive.

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In the bible(niv) the word "Joy" is used 244 times....Gods desire for us is to be JOYFUL and glad. But, pure Joy cannot be obtained on our own, no matter how much we strive for it, Joy is the fruit of a right relation with God. I hope that my life exudes Joy to where people can see that there is something different in me. I am always going to be human and full of sin, but by the grace of God I hope that I can keep my mind set on the things of him, and not in constant comparison.

psalm 97:11-12

Light shines on the righteous and JOY on the upright in heart. 

rejoice in the Lord,

you who are righteous and praise his holy name.

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#12-the sound of windshield wipers 

#13-panara-soup and baguette 

#14-notes of a sheet of music

monday memories-water buffalos

MONDAY MEMORIES:

WATER BUFFALOS

Haha ok now before reading this post....please don't judge me, as I would do anything for one of my babies...

One of my favorite memories of this week was when my mom called me on the phone one afternoon while I was at work. She had my little nephew(Jake) for the day because he wasn't feeling well, on this afternoon he asked my mom to call me because he wanted me to sing him the "water buffalo song"...In case any of you havn't watched veggie tales, that is a song that they sing...ANYWAY so while I am at work I bust out in my rendition of the "water buffalo song",  once I finish I listen and he says nothing...my mom then comments about how he is just staring at the phone....all of a sudden I hear this squeeky little voice in the background singing his heart out! :) Even from miles away, I love the memories of little voices, and technology that lets me sing when there sick! 

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#9-lowes

#10-efficient mondays 

#11-to have the recourses to help people

Thrifty Thoughts-Rose Painting

Thursday, time for Thrifty Thoughts!!! 

I have been wanting a painting to hang above my bed for quite some time now, 

I knew I wanted the painting to have cool tones and something unique....
I looked on multiple websites, I found a couple that I really loved,
 however I was NOT about to throw down $200-300 bucks on a painting.
SOOO I went to hobby lobby and picked out a canvas that I thought would fit above the bed. 

I picked one which cost me $20(with my 40% off coupon) and all the paint I already had previously 

bought.

The idea was to make it have a cross stitch effect with paint, incorporate cool tones, 

and make it something that looks inviting and not forced....

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Finished product!!!!! 

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Linking up with the VanillaTulip

For "Thrifty Thoughts" 

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#7-falling asleep to the drip of a leaky faucet  #8-morning weight class at the gym  #9-cup of coffee and reading about other bloggers lives 

church-all sons and daughters

"ALL SONS AND DAUGHTERS"

 Last night for our 2013 church kickoff they

brought in "Sons and Daughters". I have never heard of this band before last night but 

was PLEASANTLY surprised when I heard them! They are a Christian band(obviously) but 

there voices mesh so well together and what I loved is that it was simple instrumentals. They 

had a piano, kickdrum, guitar and cello....simple, but VERY good!!! 

Hope you ENJOY :) 

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#4-the rich sound of a cello 

#5-a precious niece EMMA who turns five today

#6-true long lasting friendships, even from a thousands of miles apart 

1000 gifts

I have started a love of reading here in the past few months, 

I don't have a TON of time to read but I normally bring a book to the gym 

and read while I am on the elliptical or treadmill. It makes the time 

go by faster AND i'm learning so much! 

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The book I am currently on is called 

"One Thousand Gifts"

by: Anne Voskamp

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I am only on the 5th chapter, but I already know it will be one of my favorites! 

Anne talks about her life and how writing down a couple things each day of things she is HAPPY for, cheers her up and gets her mind set on the positive things in life and all the wonderful things God has given her, rather opposed to living life feeling sorry for ourselves or lusting over the things we don't have. On a day to day life I normally try and find the good in everything, I try to find the small insignificant things and be thankful for them...but like everyone I get into the "selfish humanity mode" and always need a gentle reminder that God has given me everything I have as a...GIFT. 

I love reading books like this because its so inspiring to see how the little things in life effect

the bigger parts of our lives. 

So today I start my list of 1,000 gifts that God has given me......

#1-the smell of fresh cut grass

#2-a hot cup of tea at night

#3-three day old hair 

Thrifty Thoughts

Thrifty Thoughts 

My idea this week is.....TACO SOUP :)

 I made a HUGE batch last week and I loved the fact that it was SO easy and so economical! Once I got it all cooked up and cooled slightly, I separated it into ziplock baggies and put them in the freezer for a quick and easy meal. Of course if you have a bigger family it might feed you for one or two meals but since I cook for only me...this portioned me out 16 snack-size ziplocks full!! Turns out its AMAZING!!!! There are nights when I get home from work and do not want to cook a meal for just myself....so I pull out a ziplock and heat up in 4min! :)

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Taco Soup

2lbs Ground Turkey (browned)

1 can Rotel 

1 can Stewed Tomatoes 

1 can Whole Corn 

2 can Ranch Style Pinto beans 

1 can Ranch Style beans 

1 can Kidney beans 

1 packet dry Ranch Dip 

1 packet Taco Seasoning 

1-2 cups of Water

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Brown your meat.....than just add your remaining ingredients and heat! 

Most of the time I don't stick to this certain recipe, I just add whatever I have 

in my pantry! 

TIP-When you lay the baggies in the freezer lay them on their side to freeze 

or else the soup goes around the plastic and its HARD to rip it off when you want to heat it up. 

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Linking up with: 

quiet days

-quiet days-