What Does Your Life ECHO?

I was in a store and heard a young child speak an unthinkable string of words. I spun my head around to see what the parent was going to do because I could hardly believe my ears. Yet the parent seemed oblivious to his words. Evidently, the parent put the words out there and the child echoed those words back. In another situation, I witnessed a child putting her little hands on her mama’s face and with fervency exclaimed, “I love you sooo much!” That child echoed the words she had heard. What is being echoed in your home and in your sphere of influence?

An ECHO is like sowing and reaping. What we plant, we harvest. If we only speak AND think and if we only plant and sow words of doubt, negativity, unbelief, worry, and anger, then we can expect back the echo (the harvest) of the same. On the other hand, when we are speaking and thinking, planting and sowing -- good thoughts of blessings, love, joy, generosity, peace, kindness, and respect – then that echo will come back with the same.

It’s the Fall season which, of course, leads to thoughts of harvest time and reaping what we’ve sown. With this post, I’m encouraging all of us to think about what our life is reaping. God's laws of reciprocity have never changed. "You reap what you sow." Galatians 6:7 We know the repercussions of negative sowing so if we want a harvest of what we sincerely desire, we'll make sure that our "planting" produces a crop of blessings! If we’re not reaping the blessings we’d like to have, then maybe it’s time to give thought to the seeds we planted.

If we planted honesty, we'll reap trust.
If we planted friendship, we'll reap friends.
If we planted love, we'll reap love.
If we planted hard work, we'll reap success.
If we planted forgiveness, we'll reap reconciliation.
If we plant faith in God, we'll reap a harvest of blessings.

I’m on a mountaintop and I’m yelling “I love you! The echo is “I love you!”. I’m shouting “You are strong and courageous: My echo is “You are strong and courageous!” Imagine you’re on that mountaintop today – what are you shouting and what is coming back at you?

Remember, you are the director of your own movie. You can say CUT at any time to negative speaking and thinking! So go ahead and rewrite the ending to be one of a great harvest of blessings because that’s what you planted during the first scene of the movie!

Be a REFLECTION of What You'd Like to Be

REFLECTION: an image that is seen in a mirror or on a shiny surface; something that shows the effect, existence, or character of something or someone.

I love how God gives us "thumbs up" on decisions we make. I typed up this blog early yesterday morning before I left for an event so it would be ready to POST this morning at 6 am. Imagine my delight, when a lady at the event said, "Donna, in my thoughts about you I saw you outdoors in nature and you came to a stream and you looked in the stream and saw your REFLECTION,....etc. Her words encouraged me beyond that word, but she confirmed the post I had written for you today. God is so faithful to me AND you!

I love this photo, and quote. "Be a REFLECTION of what you'd like to receive. If you want love, give love. If you want truth, be truthful. What you give out, will always return. REFLECTION is also like a boomerang -- when we give love, it will come back to us. If we give joy, we'll receive back joy. If we give forgiveness, we will be forgiven.

It's the Laws of Reciprocity -- God's laws of sowing and reaping. Those laws aren't new at all. It started with the greatest of all GIVERS when Jesus said, "Give...and it shall be given" Luke 6:38. Simply put, reciprocity is the notion of mutual exchange or fair return. It’s the basis of many business interactions where a fair exchange of goods and services is made between parties.

On the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus gave us the Laws of Reciprocity in the purest form -- for example "Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy." Matthew 5:7

We've heard the words: "Serve....and you shall be served." "Love....and you shall be loved." "Be a friend.....and you shall have friends." Just makes good sense -- especially when it's been tested and proven by successful leaders! Our dear friend, Zig Ziglar, said, "You can have everything in life you want, if you will just help other people get what they want." Smart and truly successful people get this. It's NOT giving TO GET. Typically, in those times that we give -- we do so with absolutely no expectation or desire to receive back.....but with God's Laws of Reciprocity -- there is ALWAYS a give back. Those laws just can't help themselves. We do receive back in so many ways. If our heart stays fixed on giving, serving and loving -- the REFLECTION and the ACTION will be to RECEIVE.

Love is GIVING and RECEIVING

Day 26 in the Month of Love -- Love is GIVING and RECEIVING

It's like a boomerang -- when we give love, it will come back to us. If we give joy, we'll receive back joy. Like today's photo of the little bird and his reflection, we should be a reflection of what we want to receive. If we want love, we give love. If we want truth, we need to be truthful. What we give out will come back to us. It's the Laws of Reciprocity. That's what social psychologists call it when someone does something nice for us, and, we have a deep rooted urge to do something nice for them in return. As a matter of fact, we may even reciprocate with a gesture far more generous than their original good deed.

That LAW isn't new at all. It started with the greatest of all GIVERS when Jesus said, "Give......and it shall be given!"

We've heard the words: "Serve....and you shall be served." "Love....and you shall be loved." "Be a friend.....and you shall have friends." Just makes good sense -- especially when it's been tested and proven by successful leaders! Robert Kiyowsoki (Rich Dad, Poor Dad) said, "Change your focus from making money to serving people. Serving more people, makes the money come in."

Zig Ziglar, a dear friend of ours, said, "You can have everything in life you want, if you will just help other people get what they want." Smart and truly successful people get this. Most times we give..... with absolutely no expectation or desire to receive back.....but it's just those laws....God's Laws of Reciprocity.....YOU WILL RECEIVE, when your heart's attitude is to GIVE, SERVE and LOVE!

#LiveToLove #LiveToGive

What is Your Life Echoing Today?

What is your life echoing today?

In other words, what is your life reaping?

I learned this lesson well. I remember when I would wake in a grumpy mood and everyone in the house could feel it. Before long......they would chime in, and they'd be grumpy, too! We, literally, can set the tone and the atmosphere of our day by what we send out. Happy Mama = happy family. Grumpy Mama = grumpy family.

God's laws of reciprocity have never changed. "We do reap what we sow." Galatians 6:7. And, we know the repercussions of positve AND negative sowing. But to have the harvest we sincerely desire, let's make sure our "planting" produces a crop of blessings! And, let's make sure our ECHO resounds with all those things we want back!

If we plant honesty, we'll reap trust.
If we plant friendship, we'll reap friends.
If we plant humility, we'll reap greatness.
If we plant love, we'll reap love.
If we plant hard work, we'll reap success.
If we plant forgiveness, we'll reap reconciliation.
If we plant faith in God, we'll reap a harvest of blessings.
So let's do a check-up -- from the neck-up -- and let's turn our day into blessings!