No Matter What - List

I read a lot of books. It's more of an addiction than a passion to be completely frank about it. Nothing brings me greater joy than when I get that new book in my hands. It represents so many things to me before I even turn a page. Some books that I read are so full of incredible ideas and thoughts that its hard for me to take them all in and apply everything at once. I usually read the book all the way through, make some highlights along the way, and then end up pulling it back off the shelf over and over again just going to those highlighted places. And, I always try to take away at least one thing from every book that I read that I can apply to my life right away.

My friend, who also has a love for books like I do, dropped one by for me to borrow and I read it start to finish. Those are the best kind. This particular author had a section that I knew would be the one thing that I would be taking away to apply to my life right away. And, it couldn't have come at a better time. Thus began my journey called, "No Matter What". That phrase alone felt so powerful in my mind to even say. It felt final and it felt do-able.

I realized that one of my biggest struggles has been being tossed around by my feelings, how sick I'm feeling that day, or always trying to wrangle those miserable messages in my head that I play to myself that somehow got recorded before I had a say in the matter. But, just like we have the United States Constitution...I realized that I needed one just for me. It can always be added to, but never amended.

So, no matter what I'm feeling, no matter what my body is doing, no matter how hard it feels to squeak by the minutes in my day there are things that I will do...no matter what.

-I will pray everyday no matter what- because "If the soul preservers in a life of prayer, there will come a time when these seasons of dryness will pass away and the soul will be led out into a large place." (Charles Spurgeon)

-I will trust/believe God no matter what- "The time to trust is when all else fails." (A.B. Simpson)
"The only way to learn strong faith is to endure great trials." (George Mueller)

-I will read my Bible everyday no matter what- For the word of God is living and active. Heb 4:12 It has the power to be like medicine to my body, mind and soul.

There are a few more but those are between God and I. But, I'm certain that there will be more added to the list as time goes on. Right now those are top three things that I know I can do regardless of how I'm feeling. If I can't physically read myself, Whitney has been reading to me and this has turned out to be a really great time for us.

These are not New Years Resolutions being made in the Spring. These are things that keep me from feeling sorry for myself, from becoming distant from God who "is close to those who are crushed in spirit", and gives me hope. I agree that these are things we should be doing no matter what, and I have been doing them pretty much everyday for many years. But, since being sick it has been easy for me to say..."It's been two years now and I'm still in bed." It's so easy to want to give up and give in and say "what's the point?" No matter what...I'm not going down that road. And, I don't think you have to be sick in bed to have things or people in your life that you feel like giving up on. Once we open the door to giving up on the little things in life, it will make hanging in there with the bigger things so much more difficult. It doesn't mean that I don't give myself permission to have a good 15 minute cry or have a day that I just can't muster up the energy to do anymore than those three "No matter what's". That's called life. As I tell my husband frequently these days...life is messy. Sometimes we are going to get messy with it. It's just not a reason to stop doing the things that will pick us up off the floor and make our clothes clean again. Blessings, Tanya