Gold nugget

A car stopped at my house that morning, Tiffany my friend at my gate. She asked me to company her to a mall. I was gladly went with her. The day I never forget, I got a gold nugget.

Tiffany also a very good driver and I just learned to drive after Rose was born. Every time she stopped at a junction she said to me, “Remember Olive, you must stop at every junction even though you do not see any car, even though you are in a very quiet neighborhood, even though it’s early morning or late night never assumed that people are sleeping at their home. No matter the situation you must stop! Look at every possible direction, wait….then you can continue drive.” She told me this more than ten times. Until now every time I am driving and stopping at any junction I heard her voice in my memory and stopped. Lol. She said, many unexpected accidents happened because they thought the road was quiet….or this is just a small neighborhood….or they thought only they were driving at this time…But this isn’t the gold nugget I mentioned above.

Back to us in the mall. We walked around and looked at many things. Tiffany looked at shoes, bags, clothes, make up. We spent quiet a bit time on those items. But seems she didn’t sure. Then I asked her, “Are you looking for a present for anyone?” “No! I still thinking what present should I buy for myself? that’s her answered.“ Is today your birthday?” I don’t think it is but I can miss it. She shook her head. “I wanna give a present for myself!” “What’s happened?” I can’t wait to know. “Two days ago I taught mathematics to my son, he is going to have a test the next day. Yesterday Ryan went back from school very happy, he got A for his maths. That’s why I want to give myself a good present because I am a great math teacher!”

Hmmm… I never heard such thing before. Very interesting thought. Gold nugget.
Yes it’s very true. How many times we were upset with others when they didn’t affirm us? How many times we were hurt by our spouse, children, friends when they didn’t remember our birthday? How many times we were feeling disrespected, take for granted when they didn’t even say thank you of all house hold responsibility, cooking, laundering? How many times we were angry when others didn’t appreciate us? How many times we were feeling abandoned when others didn’t remember us, what we did for them? How many times…..the list can keep on and on….

Why others specify my emotion, wether I’m upset or fine, wether I’m hurt or good, wether I am disrespected or appreciated, wether I’m angry or happy, wether I’m feeling abandoned or accepted ???Why my soul have to depend on other people feeling towards me? Why my joy, my happiness have to depend the way people treated me?

Tiffany told me she always give herself present, reward of what she achieved. She bought present for herself for her birthday. Not waiting for her husband to give her a surprise. She made herself happy. She gave pat on her own shoulder. 

It’s changed me. Yes I should be proud of myself, of what I able to accomplish by God’s grace. I started to treat myself better. When I finished my job well, I bought a big cup of ice cream. I gave myself reward and pat on my own shoulder. “Awesome Olive!” “Yes, Olive you do great and you are able.”

Bill Johnson said : if you don’t live by other people praise then you won’t die by their criticism.
What I’m trying to say is, you are responsible of your own happiness. Not blaming others of your unhappiness. Come on!  Cheers yourself up. Give a pat on your own shoulder. 

I wanna tell a story what happened in the Jewish history. Kind of the opposite of what I just told you above.

In the book of Deuteronomy 16:11 ‘You shall rejoice before the Lord your God, you and your son and your daughter, your male servant and your female servant, the Levite who is within your gates, the stranger and the fatherless and the widow who are among you, at the place where the Lord God chooses to make His name abide.’

God commanded His people to rejoice, not a suggestion. 
God also commanded them to celebrate the harvest, the first fruit harvest. At the year of 70 AD the land of Israel was destroyed, and the Jewish people were scattered to many part of the earth. Diaspora. They didn’t plant anymore. No more harvest, no more grain or fruits to be collected. Even though they had no more harvest, they still kept celebrating the first fruits feast. They celebrate, give thanks, rejoice, feasting for nonexistent grain harvest, nonexistent fruit harvest. After almost two thousand years celebrating harvest that not exists. Miraculously. They back to their own land and started to plant again, what a big turn around. Sure enough now they celebrate and rejoice over a real harvest every year. Gold nugget.

People in this world rejoice after seeing the blessing, good things. But we can be different, we rejoice and celebrate before the blessing, before good things we hope for manifested. 

Do not wait to see your blessing in order to rejoice. Do not wait for the present to come in order to give thanks. Do not wait until your circumstances are right in order to be joyful. Do not wait until you become a champion to celebrate your victory. 

Rejoice, give thanks, be joyful and celebrate before it happened. Anticipating of joy. 

I have a suggestion…get a glass of juice/wine…what suit you…Let’s lift up your glass together with me and cheers 🥂

 Rejoice for all the goodness of God that are coming your way.

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