I wish I could read the book from which this quote was taken.

It’s been my pleasure to have read a few of Ortberg’s books and they have all spurred me on to a greater depth of thinking and towards the Lover of my soul.

 

"If your soul is healthy, no external circumstance can destroy your life."

 

“If your soul is healthy, no external circumstance can destroy your life. If your soul is unhealthy, no external circumstance can redeem your life.” – John Ortberg, Soul Keeping

There is so much truth in this statement.

In fact, I think you’ll agree that it resonates with many of my recent JoyDay! posts.

 

We can't control the weather, our relationships, the tenor of the world around us. But, there is one thing we can control.  Discover with me what we can do when life seems out of control.

 

So much of life is outside of our control.

We can’t control the weather, our relationships, the tenor of the world around us.  You name it… we probably can’t control it, ultimately.  (Though we might very well be capable of fooling ourselves into thinking we can.  That’s dangerous and could be a topic for another time.)

There is one thing we can control…

and that is our response to the One who created us and loves us.

We can choose to follow him, return his love, and allow ourselves to be molded by him.

We can choose to fill our hearts and minds with God’s word.

We can choose to worship God.

We can choose to serve others in the Name of Jesus.

And when we choose these things that we can control…

we get a healthy soul.

 

Train yourself to be godly.
“Physical training is good, but training for godliness is much better,
promising benefits in this life and in the life to come.”
This is a trustworthy saying, and everyone should accept it.

1 Timothy 4:7-9

We can't control the weather, our relationships, the tenor of the world around us. But, there is one thing we can control.  Discover with me what we can do when life seems out of control.

Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary
and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.
Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you,
because I am humble and gentle at heart,
and you will find rest for your souls.

Matthew 11:28-29

 

I had a very trying start to the week.

At first I wrestled and wrestled and tried to figure things out.

And then…

I got down on my knees and prayed.

And asked others to pray too.

 

God did something amazing.

Something beyond what I could have ever expected and certainly more than I imagined.

I wish I could give you all the details… instead know that this situation outside of my control changed.

And it changed because we did what we could do

  • Follow the Lord, return his love, and allow ourselves to be molded by him.
  • Fill our hearts and minds with God’s word.
  • Worship God.
  • Serve others in the Name of Jesus.

We kept to our training (1 Timothy 4:7-9) and invited others to join us in prayer as we turned the situation over to Jesus to carry for us.

I’d like to tell you that everything is now perfect.

It’s not.  Far from it.

But, to quote Ortberg… “If your soul is healthy, no external circumstance can destroy your life.”

You might say it’s a matter of perspective.

It might be the difference between life… and death.

 

We can't control the weather, our relationships, the tenor of the world around us. But, there is one thing we can control.  Discover with me what we can do when life seems out of control.

 

When life seems out of control…

or something is weighing you down…. take your focus off from it and give it to God.

And then do what you can do… work on living a godly life so that you’ll have a healthy soul.

When your soul is healthy, you’ll be prepared for whatever comes your way.

 

JoyDay!  It's the time of the week when we take time to count the gifts... good and bad from the past week in community, and give thanks.  Please join us for this life-changing experience.

 

It’s JoyDay!

I’m so glad you’re here to join me for JoyDay!  I love it when we take time to share the good things God has done in our lives.  Both the good and the not-so-good.

Will you join with me in counting ‘seven’ from the past week?

I’ll start!

Thank you God for…

  1. so many who prayed with and for us.
  2. carrying us.
  3. an unexpected change in events and the resulting beauty we were blessed to see.
  4. the stranger at the beach who took our pictures and emailed them to us.
  5. keeping my heart encouraged with that special blessing you carefully orchestrated for me to discover.
  6. the sample Chai Latte at Barnes & Noble that met my craving perfectly.
  7. being the Lover of my soul.

Now it’s your turn!

Please join me by tapping in your ‘seven’ in the ‘share your extraordinary thoughts’ section below. I dare you!

Thank you for stopping by and taking time to leave your sweet thoughts.

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Comments

  1. Debbi Saunders says

    Thank You God :
    1. for speedy healing of sinus/allergy/cold that started Thursday!!
    2. being in the situation with my brother and his wife… your will be done Lord…
    3. for answered prayer in my Son’s life…
    4. For strength daily to do my job
    5. that my Friend Elizabeth is doing so well in therapy from her broken pelvis and that she was not seriously hurt in her bicycle accident…
    6.For the work he is doing in Tim and Diane’s family…
    7.for the Anniversary of my Friends Birth!!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY DIANE!!!!

    • Amen!! I rejoice with you Debbi at God’s amazing grace played out in your life (and mine) this past week.
      Thank you for the sweet BD wishes too!! [[hugs]]
      May you continue to feel strengthened in every way and may your heart over flow with JOY this week.

  2. Gwen says

    Joy Day!
    1. A chirpy upbeat visit with my daughter who cheerfully takes Curt to church and grocery shopping….She bubbles with helping Curt and me with no complaints.
    2. Curt’s scare with heart. It is still not right but he is better and able to work and has gotten praise for his work even by clients. Praise God for he was struggling all last week until Friday even thinking yet trying to work
    3. My neighbor took me out to our very very close by Target. We giggled?. And I found some stuff clearanced for the guys’ Christmas gifts. And the girls too
    4. My daughter helps Curt bring communion to me
    5. My cousin whom I called for his birthday says he prays every single night for Me to be fully healed and Curt too. I felt humbled. He’s older than I am and his mom, my Aunt was my Dads older sister who died of cancer so young. Yet her three children have stayed close to me all my life though scattered we live. It is humbling to know Someone is praying for me today. Someone has bowed in prayer this hour. They’ve talked to our Lord for my healing this day. Someone has prayed. Yes someone has prayed. I never was told but God heard their pleas. Someone is praying for me.

    • God is so good to provide help for you in so many ways. Praying now for healing from Curt’s heart scare.
      May you be overwhelmed this week with the prayers of others and may God bless you beyond measure. [[hugs]]

  3. Oh I’m so happy something good happened! Just like I spoke it out for you! God is so good.
    Thankful for:
    1. Given a large bundle of free laminate, for free! Such a blessing.
    2. Celebrating the retirement of a co-worker and rejoicing over the continued healing of her husband.
    3. Being able to share a devotional with the ladies at the Windsor Life Centre
    4. Going out for breakfast with my husband today after church.
    5. Having pastors that truly love God and His word.
    6. Forgiveness of sin
    7. Grace and strength for each day

    • Thanks for rejoicing with me Diane. 🙂 God is so good!
      Thanks too, for sharing your “seven.” So many wonderful blessings. 🙂
      May your week overflow with JOY! [hugs]

  4. Tas says

    1. Thanks be to God for leading me to this sight, it has opened my eyes and given me direction
    2. Thank you Diane for the work God is doing through you to reach people who like me is reaching out to God,
    3. Thank you to my brother in law and his wife who encouraged me in developing my faith
    4. For being able to pray and trust that God will answer my prayers
    5. For all my prayers that God have answeredd already
    6. For giving me the strength and health to be able to go to work each day
    7. For keeping my family and friends safe

    • Welcome Tas!!
      I am so grateful God used this space to bring you encouragement. Thank you for sharing your “seven.” My heart rejoices with yours at seeing God’s love played out in your life. May your faith continue to grow and may your heart be overwhelmed with joy at the goodness of the Lord. {hugs}

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