Wow.

Wow.   What a ridiculously amazing day.   Who would have thought this transformation could show itself so quickly.   The future looks so bright suddenly.  What you give is what you get.   :)

Happy people see problems as challenges.

“Remember that not getting what you want is sometimes a wonderful stroke of luck.”
Dalai Lama

I suppose this is true right now.   My lack of immediate gratification, possible not anytime soon gratification and hopefully not never gratification is actually bringing great things into my life.  

Today is the happiest I have been in a long time.   And not because of anything external that has happened.   The changes that are being made in me through the Church and through my efforts to re-build my character are adding up.   I've been reading another blog called "Sucessify!" which is helping me to make a new turn in my life and is giving me ideas for improvement that are making me feel so much better. 

One of the things I tried today was to talk to a stranger.  Something that a lot of us do not do in our normal zombie day to day lives.   It definitely raised my endorphin levels, even just making a little small talk. 

I know I will be very proud of the person I am at the end of this journey.   That will allow me to be able to love another like I never have before.   It is already so exciting to see all of the bad habits that I have cut out of my life.   People really can change, and I am actually one of those people!

One other point on the blog reads "Happy people see problems as challenges".  This is my challenge.   To become the man I was intended to be and then to show you that man.   And if you are no longer interested, then someone will get the best dude that I ever could be. 

Couples Testimony.

When she sat on the couch and asked him everything that he was hiding from her,  at that moment had no idea what she could mean.   When she told him what she had found on his phone, the possibilities ran though his head.   He knew that he had looked at pornography from time to time.   He had commented and shared pictures with total strangers.  But in his head, that could be justified, right?   That wasn't cheating, was it? 

He panicked.   Denied things that were true.   Yes he had a fetish that he never told her about.   The relationship had progressed so quickly and he never brought it up.   And now he felt like it was too late.   After all this time, what if he told her and she couldn't live with that? It wasn't worth the risk.  So he just decided to compartmentalize it.   Keep this little separate part of his life, thinking it wasn't hurting anyone.   But you cant keep anything separate in a relationship.  Everything has to be out in the open, or the relationship will never have a solid foundation.  

The fight escalated, the lies continued, and he let her leave.   The worst decision he could have made.   But at the time, what else was there to do.   He thought, I need to start fresh.   She will never get over this.   Panic.  

Fast forward a few months and she is long gone.   She so quickly had moved on to another relationship.   And this while his heart pulls back toward her.   The days after the breakup, he felt like splitting was the only thing to be done.   Now his heart aches for the love of his life.   He hit rock bottom.   Lying on the floor one night, begging for the pain to stop, it happened. 

Something told him to get up.   Go to church.   A voice told him he needed to align himself with God. 

Chipping away slowly, God began to reveal to him that everything that was going wrong in his relationship and in his life, was his own fault.   And it was all because he was not living the life that God had wanted him to life. 

He realized how cold his heart was.   That it was incapable of the love that she deserved.   That he was chasing demons and little Gods that were keeping him from the full potential of his relationship. God began to show him every fight, every missed opportunity, every wasted hour that was a result of him not living up to his full potential. 

Months go by with no contact.   He continues his walk with God.  Patiently waiting on the Lord.  Praying nightly that God would make them one of his testimonies.   Please Lord reach down and put forgiveness in her heart.  A couple that could speak to other couples about the power of God and how it can make even the most broken relationships more solid.   

And then it happened.   The phone rang.  

10 years and 3 kids later, they speak at their Church community groups to other couples about the power of God and how He can heal relationships and even make them stronger. 

The first part of this story is the truth.   The second part is so far fiction.   But my nightly prayer is that this is one day my true story in its entirety.