God gives us a power we so seldom employ,
For we’re so unaware it is filled with such joy.
The gift that God gives us is anticipation,
Which we can fulfill with sincere expectation,
For there’s power in belief when we think we will find
Joy for the heart and peace for the mind,
And believing the day will bring a surprise
Is not only pleasant but surprisingly wise.
For we open the door to let joy walk through
When we learn to expect the best, and the most, too,
And believing we’ll find a happy surprise
Makes reality out of a fancied surmise.
If wishes worked like magic
and plans worked that way, too,
And if everything you wished for,
whether good or bad for you,
Immediately were granted
with no effort on your part,
You’d experience no fulfillment
of your spirit or your heart.
For things achieved too easily
lose their charm and meaning, too,
For it is life’s difficulties
and the trial times we go through
That make us strong in spirit
and endow us with the will
To surmount the insurmountable
and to climb the highest hill.
So wish not for the easy way
to win your heart’s desire,
For the joy’s in overcoming
and withstanding flood and fire,
For to triumph over trouble
and grow stronger with defeat
Is to win the kind of victory
that will make your life complete.
Good health, good humor,
And good sense,
No one is poor
With this defense.
Tender little memories
Of some word or deed
Give us strength and courage
When we are in need.
Blessed little memories
Help us bear the cross
And soften all the bitterness
Of failure and loss.
Precious little memories
Of little things we’ve done
Make the very darkest day
A bright and happy one.
Every day is a reason for giving
And giving is the key to living.
So let us give ourselves away,
Not just today but every day,
And remember, a kind and thoughtful deed
Or a hand outstretched in a time of need
Is the rarest of gifts, for it is a part,
Not of the purse but of a loving heart.
And he who gives of himself will find
True joy of heart and peace of mind.
A little laughter, a little song,
A little teardrop
When things go wrong,
A little calm
And a little strife
A little loving
And that is life.
Cheerful thoughts like sunbeams
lighten up the darkest fears,
For when the heart is happy
there’s just no time for tears…,
For the nature of our attitudes
toward circumstantial things
Determines our acceptance
of the problems that life brings.
And since fear and dread and worry
cannot help in any way,
It’s much healthier and happier
to be cheerful every day.
And if you’ll only try it,
you will find, without a doubt,
A cheerful attitude’s something
no one should be without,
For when the heart is cheerful,
it cannot be filled with fear,
And without fear, the way ahead
seems more distinct and clear,
And we realize there’s nothing
that we must face alone,
For our heavenly Father loves us,
and our problems are His own.
Kindness is a virtue given by the Lord;
It pays dividends in happiness, and joy is its reward.
For if you practice kindness in all you say and do,
The Lord will wrap His kindness
around your heart and you.
Sometimes when faith is running low
And I cannot fathom why things are so,
I walk among the flowers that grow
And learn the answers to all I would know.
For among my flowers I have come to see
Life’s miracle and its mystery,
And standing in silence and reverie,
My faith comes flooding back to me.
Memory builds a little pathway
that goes winding through my heart.
It’s a lovely, quiet, gentle trail
from other things apart.
I only meet, when traveling there,
the folks I like the best,
For this road I call remembrance
is hidden from the rest.
But I hope I’ll always find you
in my memory rendezvous,
For I keep this little secret place
to meet with folks like you.
An aching heart is but a stepping stone
To greater joy than you’ve ever known,
For things that cause the heart to ache
Until you think that it must break
Become the strength by which we climb
To higher heights that are sublime
And feel the radiance of God’s smiles
When we have soared above life’s trials.
So when you’re overwhelmed with fears
And all your hopes are drenched in tears,
Think not that life has been unfair
And given you too much to bear,
For God has chosen you because,
With all your weaknesses and flaws,
He feels that you are worthy of
The greatness of His wondrous love.
Often your tasks will be many,
and more than you think you can do.
Often the road will be rugged,
and the hills insurmountable, too.
But always remember, the hills ahead
are never as steep as they seem,
And with faith in your heart, start upward
and climb till you reach your dream.
For nothing in life that is worthy
is ever too hard to achieve
If you have the courage to try it
and you have the faith to believe.
For faith is a force that is greater
than knowledge or power or skill,
And many defeats turn to triumphs
if you trust in God’s wisdom and will.
For faith is a mover of mountains—
there’s nothing that God cannot do—
So start out today with faith in your heart
and climb till your dream comes true.
In a myriad of miraculous ways
God shapes our lives and changes our days.
Beyond our will or even knowing
God keeps our spirits ever growing.
For lights and shadows, sun and rain,
Sadness and gladness, joy and pain
Combine to make our lives complete
And give us victory through defeat.
Oh “Love divine, all loves excelling,”
In troubled hearts You just keep on dwelling,
Patiently waiting for a prodigal son
To say at last, “Thy will be done.”