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How to Have a “Wonderful Life”

How to Have a “Wonderful Life”

The following is inspired by Dr. Baehr’s new devotional book, “Reel to Real: 45 Devotionals for Families”:

Ever feel like your life is anything but “wonderful?” 

We all do sometimes. However, when the humbug mood threatens to overtake us, we can look to see how our reel life can positively impact our real life.

Frank Capra’s masterful “It’s A Wonderful Life” tells us the story of George Bailey, who is certain that his life is not wonderful. Now, George had an angel in-training to help him, but we have something better – instruction from the Word of God.

ABUNDANT LIFE 

In the Bible, in John 10:10, Jesus says that the thief comes to kill, steal, and destroy, but that He, Jesus Christ, instead, comes to set us free and give us an abundant life. Think about it—an abundant life. What does that mean?

For George Bailey, a more abundant life didn’t mean traveling the world and becoming rich and famous, but it did mean rescuing the family business. This meant that both he and his community lived a life of abundance.

BE HAPPY. GIVE THANKS. KEEP PRAYING

The Bible plainly tells us: “Always be happy. Never stop praying. Give thanks whatever happens. That is what God wants for you in Jesus Christ.” (1 Thessalonians 5:16–18 ICB) 

No other place in the Bible tells in such clear words what God’s will is for us: to be happy, to talk to Him, and to be grateful. What a wonderful plan for our life!

So, even in this often-troubled world, we can have a plan that works in real life:

Be Grateful

Thessalonians says, “Give thanks whatever happens.” Grumbling is easy but it discourages us. Gratefulness is sometimes hard, but encourages us. No matter what’s happening, you can find aspects of your life that will trigger gratefulness. Right now, think about 3 things for which you are grateful. 

See the Positive

Even when our glass is “half empty,” there are some aspects that remain “half full.” If we wait for the circumstances in our life to all be worked out before we can be positive, we will lead a life of discouragement and negativity with a few brief flashes of positivity. Instead, find the positive and dwell on the parts of life that are uplifting right now. 

Stay Connected

Stay connected to God through prayer. God doesn’t want our thee’s and thou’s. Instead, he wants an honest heart-to-heart conversation with you throughout the day. We can pray when walking, when driving, even during a difficult conversation with someone. We can pray in our mind or out loud or in groups. In short, we can pray all sorts of ways. Go ahead, tell Him what you’re grateful for and tell Him those things which trouble your heart. Stay connected.

By following this biblical instruction, you can, like George Bailey, see that you really do have a wonderful life!

Get the first 3 chapters of Dr. Baehr’s new devotional, “Reel to Real: 45 Devotionals for Families” for FREE.  Just fill out the below and we’ll send them to you!