We spend our lives dreaming of the future, not realizing that a little of it slips away every day.
Barbara JohnsonGrowing is a lifetime job, and we grow most when we're down in the valleys, where the fertilizer is.
Barbara JohnsonOnce a reporter stood in front of a fire as it consumed a house and then he turned to see the homeowners and their little son watching it burn. The reporter, fishing for a human interest angle, said to the boy, "Son, it looks like you don't have a home anymore." The little boy promptly answered, "Oh, yes, we have a home. We just don't have a house to put it in."
Barbara JohnsonLove is what makes two people sit in the middle of a bench when there is plenty of room at both ends.
Barbara JohnsonGod will never let you sink under your circumstances. He always provides a safety net and His love always encircles.
Barbara JohnsonStop what you are doing long enough to enjoy the sunset, listen to a special song that lifts you up, or pick up the phone and share some special thought with a caring friend.
Barbara JohnsonHave we forgotten that we're all born the same way: naked, wet, and hungry? Then things get worse!
Barbara JohnsonWe are destined for joy no matter how difficult our daily life. Something in us responds to the happiness other people experience, because we glimpse life as God intended it to be.
Barbara JohnsonWhen you live in the present moment, time stands still. Accept your circumstances and live them. If there is an experience ahead of you, have it! But if worries stand in your way, put them off until tomorrow. Give yourself a day off from worry. You deserve it. Some people live with a low-grade anxiety tugging at their spirit all day long. They go to sleep with it, wake up with it, carry it around at home, in town, to church, and with friends. Here's a remedy: Take the present moment and find something to laugh at. People who laugh, last.
Barbara JohnsonGod never gives up on us no matter how hard we try to get ourselves loose. God does not let go. That doesn't mean he controls everything we do. It doesn't mean he puts a bridle on us and leads us by the nose. He gives each one of us free will and common sense and a spirit that can communicate with his. When we go through afflictions, he allows us to choose our response. But no matter what our response may be, he sticks around to the bitter end.
Barbara Johnson