Being happy

Do you ever assess what kind of fruit comes out of your life? Do you experience peace, or a constant lack of it? I am continually assessing what areas of my life are producing fruit. And not only the kind of fruit you might be thinking of - (money, productivity, things, appreciation, relationships, etc.)...no, I'm talking about spiritual fruit.

If there is an area in my life that is in constant turmoil or where I feel particularly stressed with no logical reason (just a general sense of unease), then I quickly question if there is a branch that needs pruning in my life, or if it needs to be cut off completely. Practically speaking, this could be a relationship that is affecting me negatively, or a job that is sucking my creativity, or a position that I keep for selfish reasons, etc. And if there has been a point where I have to cut off one of these branches, people have always felt free to voice their "spiritual" opinions. Whenever I listened to those opinions (against what I knew God was speaking to me in my heart) it only left me in a deeper state of unrest and confusion. I'm sure we've all experienced this to some degree.


I have determined, in my own life, that if I am experiencing a lack of peace, I need to consult my Maker and change something in my thinking. For me, two big reasons stress comes are when I am either 1)doing something I don't really want to do, or 2)doing something I shouldn't be doing, but keep on out of selfish motive. This is what I've learned about my own life. Of course for each person, stress can be caused by a number of different things. One sure thing is that a believer is never ever meant to live under constant stress or lack of peace. That, my friends, is torture.

Now, I make decisions based on the peace of God, and I don't worry about what other people think. I just realize who I am on the inside and then the things I do are secondary. They just flow out of me. I love being a child of God, and I love being able to walk out my life's destiny. THAT is how I get so much done. I know who I am, and I know what I'm supposed to do. There are things I must do from day to day that are not so enjoyable (diaper changing is one of them!), but there should ALWAYS be peace. Do you get what I'm saying? Honestly, I have not reached my full potential yet, and I am definitely not perfect (thank God I don't have to be!), but I do realize how much God loves me and how much He wants me to live in complete abundance - especially spiritually, but also in every other area of life. God created everything with it's own purpose, including humans. Everything He created is supposed to function effectively and successfully. Especially those who are connected to Him, for sure.

If you get anything out of this blurb, please get this: You are the only one who can follow YOUR destiny. No one else will do it for you. God put those desires in you for a reason. God gave you those talents because He knew He could trust you with them. Assess what kind of fruit is growing in your life. Listen to the peace. And start living according to WHO you are on the inside, instead of WHAT you are doing. Then you will begin to live happily and stress-free. And you will watch your destiny unfold before your eyes.
People will stand back in amazement and all the glory will go to Jesus! AND you will not burn out!!

♥ Estelle