Thoughts from my porch, at the end of the day;

One of my favorite times, is when darkness sets in, at the end of the day, is to light a few candles and sit on my porch.  The night sounds surround me, and the quietness refreshes me.

Time to be quiet and to reflect.

I read a piece recently, on one such evening, that uplifted my spirits on that particular evening.  It was from a small book from my bookshelf titled, "Pure Joy" by Alicia Britt Chole.

I thought maybe some of you might like what I read, and I decided to share it with you.

"Defeating Discouragement"

"Webster defines "discourage" as "to deprive of confidence, hope, or spirit."  How true!

Like a slow but steady erosion, discouragement gnaws away hope.  "That wasn't quite good enough," it says.  "Remember when you failed", it warns.  "Be realistic," it cautions.  With each whisper, confidence questions itself,  hope hesitates, and our spirit slowly suffocates.

"Reminds me of another pest that gnaws away at foundations and afflicts homes.  One source said these destroyers cause as much property damage each year as fire--termites!  There are over 2000 species.  They live in communities and steadily tunnel their way through wood---unseen and undiscovered until severe damage shouts their intrusion...

(How similar this is to our thought processes at times during our daily life.)

...What does one do with termites?  Consult the phonebook, call a professional, and exterminate the little beasts!!!

What should we do with discouragement?  Consult the Bible, call upon God, and take action.  God knows our hearts are vulnerable, but He is more than able to defeat each and every whisper of discouragement as we call upon His name and hold tightly to His Word."

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A new morning comes and the sun always rises in the east(whether we see it or not).

Wishing you some "whispers of pure joy" today! 

I am sure we could all use them.