Whatsoever you do to the least of My brethern, that you do unto Me.

Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.

If you love only those that love you, what good does that do?

In theory, these are most agreeable and seemingly easy things to understand ... but do we really practice them?

Be GRATEFUL! Grateful for LIFE, for a God that GAVE us that life and LOVES US, for our families, friends, jobs, pets and yes, even our enemies!
Just imagine what the world would be like if we were all truly grateful and bent on making each other feel loved and accepted. And I don't mean "I'll love you IF you do this for me.", or I'll love you if you think like me and do as I do. I mean really take a look at the person you happen to be facing at any given moment. Whether you "like" them or not is irrelevent. There is something good, kind or nice you can say about ANYBODY, even if it's only how nice their outfit looks on them or they seem to have a nice complexion or pretty eyes.

I do not advocate false compliments, nor do I wish to suggest that we employ such hollow maneuvers to make another feel good. If you really take the time to LOOK at the hearts of folks, these things will just pop out at you VERY naturally! Exercise produces endorphins to be set loose making us feel wonderful and they even have some analgesic properties .... laughing produces the same experience.

When you genuinely compliment someone (and try not to base your compliments on merely "LOOKS"), this same thing happens to them, but ALSO TO YOU! Being truly grateful for everything in life is a mental, spiritual and PHYSICAL boost for yourself and others, yet with our busy lives, we fail to avail ourselves of this tremendous support facilitator.

Hmmm, be grateful for EVERYTHING you say? .... YEP, EVERYTHING.
Even the BAD THINGS? ... YEP, ESPECIALLY THE BAD THINGS!

Ok, you've totally lost it now!

LOL ... When bad things happen, it gives us wonderful opportunities for several things:
~ It brings us closer to Jesus
~ We pray more
~ We ask others to pray for us
~ It makes us step back and evaluate things, slow down a little and ask: "What would Jesus do?"
~ It makes us DEPEND ON THE LORD and not completely on ourselves
~ It removes our pride when we ask for help from others
~ Whatever the outcome, it strengthens our Faith
~ It gives us an opportunity to grow and strengthen our resolve
I could go on with this list, but I'm sure you get the idea! So don't despair when problems arise. If you have the ability to change things, then DO ... if it's beyond your ability to change; worrying won't help at ALL! So just 'give it to the Lord' and TRUST HIM!

So rejoice and be happy ... all things work together for good for those that truly love the Lord ... God's ways are not OUR ways .... God's timing is not OUR timing ... With all things GIVE THANKS!
Develop GRATTITUDE with an ATTITUDE ... be GENUINE and watch the folks and situations around you gradually change for the better!