Ill at Ease

 Are you uncomfortable with truthfully admitting who you are inside (when you are all alone by yourself)? Is your relationship in a stage of peace with your Heavenly Father? Are you appreciative with all of the little things in life that you have been blessed with?

These are all important questions that the real answers may not come as easily as an individual might expect. The following verses may provide some enlightenment for the searching soul:[i]

·       “He will keep in perfect peace all those who trust in him, whose thoughts turn often to the Lord.” Isaiah 26:3 (TLB) God is the only source of real peace. (Do you hold to that in your heart?)

 

·       “Stand silent! Know that I am God. I will be honored by every nation in the world.” Psalm 46:9-10 (TLB) If you quietly listen to the Almighty (minus all your distractions), what might He say to you?

 

·       “I know how to live when I am poor, and I know how to live when I am rich. No matter how things are, I have learned how to live: when I have plenty of food, or when I am hungry; when I have more things than I need, and when I do not have enough.” Philippians 4:12 (New Testament) (WE) If you are not content with your life as it is now, what changes need to be made so that this verse is a reality for you?

The Irish boy band, Westlife, summarized some of these feelings in the (abridged) lyrics to their song, "Flying without Wings." Does this song describe (in any way) describe you?

Everybody's looking for that something
One thing that makes it all complete
You'll find it in the strangest places
Places you never knew it could be

Some find it in the face of their children
Some find it in their lover's eyes
Who can deny the joy it brings
When you've found that special thing
You're flying without wings

Some find it sharing every morning
Some in their solitary nights
You'll find it in the words of others
A simple line can make you laugh or cry

You'll find it in the deepest friendship
The kind you cherish all your life
And when you know how much that means
You've found that special thing
You're flying without wings

So impossible as they may seem
You've got to fight for every dream
‘Cause who's to know which one you let go
Would have made you complete…

As you might expect, I have provided a plethora [ii]of meaningful, well-chosen quotes below to help you better consider the questions posed at the beginning of this post. (May the Almighty guide your exploration of these valuable life curiosities.)

·       Alexander Chalmers “The three grand essentials of happiness are: something to do, someone to love, and something to hope for.”

 

·       Andie MacDowell “Kindness can come from someone on Twitter, it can come from someone on the street. It can come from someone at work. Without kindness, I don't know what I would do. The greatest part of life is the simple things.”

 

·       Bertrand Russel “To be without some of the things you want is an indispensible part of happiness.” 

 

·       Betty White “It's your outlook on life that counts. If you take yourself lightly and don't take yourself too seriously, pretty soon you can find the humor in our everyday lives. And sometimes it can be a lifesaver.”

 

·       Blaise Pascal  “When I have occasionally set myself to consider the different distractions of men, the pains and perils to which they expose themselves … I have discovered that all the unhappiness of men arises from one single fact, that they cannot stay quietly in their own chamber.”

 

·       Dalai Lama XIV “We can never obtain peace in the outer world until we make peace with ourselves.”

·       Eda LeShan “When we cannot bear to be alone, it means we do not properly value the only companion we will have from birth to death (ourselves).”

 

·       Eleonora Duse  “If the sight of the blue skies fills you with joy, if a blade of grass springing up in the fields has power to move you, if the simple things of nature have a message that you understand, rejoice, for your soul is alive.”

 

·       Gerald Jampolsky “Peace of mind comes from not wanting to change others.”

 

·       Gillian Anderson “I have a real problem with stillness (with just stopping and being quiet).”

·      
Henri Nouwen “Did I offer peace today? Did I bring a smile to someone's face? Did I say words of healing? Did I let go of my anger and resentment? Did I forgive? Did I love? These are the real questions. I must trust that the little bit of love that I sow now will bear many fruits, here in this world and the life to come.”

 

·       Joseph Gordon-Levitt  “Every day I've got to be thankful that I am alive, and you never know - the cliché is, I guess, you could get hit by a bus tomorrow, so you'd better be at peace with whatever you got going at the moment.”

 

·       Paramahansa Yogananda “Having lots of money (while not having inner peace) is like dying of thirst while bathing in the ocean.”

 

·       Peace Pilgrim “When you find peace within yourself, you become the kind of person who can live at peace with others.”  

·       Robert Brault “Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things.”

 

·       Robert Louis Stevenson “The best things in life are nearest: Breath in your nostrils, light in your eyes, flowers at your feet, duties at your hand, the path of right just before you. Then do not grasp at the stars, but do life's plain, common work as it comes, certain that daily duties and daily bread are the sweetest things in life.”

 

·       Saint Francis de Sales “Never be in a hurry; do everything quietly and in a calm spirit. Do not lose your inner peace for anything whatsoever, even if your whole world seems upset.”

 

·       Susan L. Taylor “We need quiet time to examine our lives openly and honestly . . . Spending quiet time alone gives your mind an opportunity to renew itself and create order.”

 

·       Unknown Author “Decide who you are, decide what you want to do, and then do it because it is surely possible.”

  

·       Unknown Author “If we do not feel grateful for what we already have, what makes us think we would be happy with more?”

 

·       Wayne Dyer “Everything that's created comes out of silence. Your thoughts emerge from the nothingness of silence. Your words come out of this void. Your very essence emerged from emptiness. All creativity requires some stillness.”

 

·       Wayne Dyer “You become what you think about all day long and those days eventually become your lifetime.”

 

·       Willie Nelson “If you can be content right now, then you'll always be content, because it's always right now.”

Westlife

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[i] The term “ill at ease” refers to being uncomfortable, embarrassed, uneasy, worried, not relaxed, anxious, or unsure. to be worried and not relaxed: to be worried and not relaxed: to be worried and not relaxed:

 

[ii] Plethora is an excessive amount of an item