Living InSpiteOf

          With today's economic problems, unemployment rates and other social problems going on, it's easy to see why some may find it hard to live happy and useful lives.  They go through the motions of surviving, but find no real joy or satisfaction.  Some may even blame others for their predicaments and never look inward to find root causes of their feelings. 

          What many need to do is to exercise their faith. Faith being the substance of things hoped for, and the evidence of things not seen.  What that means is that people should look for their passion in life, their God given dreams and push toward the goal of fulfilling them.  Along with faith, they need motivation and belief that they can make it through despite all obstacles and challenges put in their way.  People also need to realize that nothing in this life is a given, except for a select few, and should expect failures and restarts until they get it right.
          Without faith, many give up when the first obstacle is placed in their path.  They think that maybe whatever it was they started may not have been meant for them, but the truth is that if it was a passion or a God given dream of theirs, it was meant for them.  Don't give up when the first obstacle confronts you.  Press on to the mark, and you will find fulfillment in your life.  Find others who may have the same passions and dreams and combine efforts to get there.  And above all, ask God to be with you as you travel the unknown roads of life and happiness, and have faith that He will be with you always.  YP's make it happen "InSpite Of".

Exercising IN SPITE Of

          Some people, when it comes to exercising, find all kinds of excuses not to.  They don't have time, they are too tired, or they are just not motivated.  I have found that I have used these same excuses to get out of exercising, but I have also realized that by not exercising I limit my abilities to do other things.  What I have found is that exercise releases stress, enables your mind to work better, allows you to sleep better, makes you look better, and gives you the energy you need to make it through your day.


          To counteract my excuses, I have started exercise classes at my church.  I am not saying that you should do the same, but when you are responsible for others to get their weekly exercise, you are not allowed to have excuses.  When you are motivating others, you motivate yourself and you along with your class reap the benefits of exercising your mind, body and soul.  You achieve your goals, along with helping others achieve their goals, and you have accomplished one of the things we are to do in this life, help others.  My way of helping others is to allow them to feel better about themselves, and that is great motivation for everyone involved. When others feel good about themselves, they project that feeling into whatever they do in their lives.  They treat people with goodness, they work better and they seem to be happier people all around.


          So, if you are one of those people who knows they need exercise, but come up with excuses, I want to say that you need to exercise INSPITE OF.  Join a gym, gather a few friends and walk, set aside a set number of minutes per week.  There are so many exercise tapes, groups and facilities out there to get you going.  What are you waiting for. YPs Stand UP!