When you see the sky it can reveal lots of things. it can be blue sky happy weather, dark sky ominous precipitation coming, or the smoke of a tragedy nearby. What do you see in your life? Are you looking? Once you see it, how do you understand and respond to it? This episode explores all this with some encouraging answers!

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Be Encouraged podcast is practical, in the moment, thoughtful encouragement.

It is our expectations of life that get us in trouble! If you didn't go into situations expecting things to go your way you wouldn't get so upset when they often don't. Expectations are a disease that we all have to varying degrees. Controlling dictator types are the worst, but you have it too, even in small things. We want family to behave certain ways, our work to go our way, even the weather to please us. 

It's all a set up for frustration and resentment. But we can do something about it. 

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Be Encouraged podcast is practical, in the moment, thoughtful encouragement.

When you watch someone die on your phone it is traumatic. When we learn shocking news almost continually we get overwhelmed. It shouldn't be this way, but it is. How to manage? How to not lose your mind or your emotional balance when the world is so crazy?

When we are wounded we need healing. We can't go on collecting wounds and ignore the urgent care we need. There's no cure for this, but there is help. 

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Be Encouraged podcast is practical, in the moment, thoughtful encouragement.

We are often so hurried or preoccupied that we miss the sacred when it is right in front of us. What if we noticed more? You might see more if you slow down just a bit, looked and saw. And then you could also let yourself be seen! 

Listen to this episode for some inspiration for seeing the sacred in the everyday. 

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Be Encouraged podcast is practical, in the moment, thoughtful encouragement.

Wouldn't you like your view to be clear? Who wants obstructions in the way when they are trying to see? It is the same in life as in windows, we want to see what we are looking for, not clutter. But what can you do when there are obstructions? Fight reality or complain? Maybe there is another choice. 

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Be Encouraged podcast is practical, in the moment, thoughtful encouragement.

Your life will be ruined if you choose wrong, right? It all hangs on each choice. Is decision making easy or hard for you? Do you fear making the wrong decisions? You might be surprised that there is some comfort in accepting your imperfection, your inability to know that each decision is the right one. 

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Be Encouraged podcast is practical, in the moment, thoughtful encouragement.

Consider the joy of a box that holds useful things. We are like boxes ourselves, containers holding things. Sometimes we hold little, sometimes just right, often we hold too much. Look around you and see the boxes. They are there. And they are most useful when they hold just the right amount, not too much, not too little. For a lot of reasons, we lean toward holding too much. We should hold faith, commitment, love, and whatever style we are created to be. And we must let go of what we don’t need. 

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Be Encouraged podcast is practical, in the moment, thoughtful encouragement.

The bucket of your life that is always pouring out. Lately it is not getting enough to refill it. Self-care isn’t keeping up with your sacrifice of time and attention on others. It seems impossible to keep up with the bad news as the stresses of our world have gotten worse. Listen in for some understanding and tips for carrying on in tough times!

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Be Encouraged podcast is practical, in the moment, thoughtful encouragement.

Have you noticed that your thoughts come and go all day? Each of us has our own  internal running monolgue. Sometimes thoughts seem to chase and torment us. Other thoughts delight us. Either way, we can spend too much time on some of them. We may even "entertain them." Do you want to spend energy "entertaining" your thoughts? Or maybe it would be better to choose which thoughts you want to give time and energy!

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Be Encouraged podcast is practical, in the moment, thoughtful encouragement.

If you don't have the skill of interrupting you need it! Your life and contentment depends on it. Consider why and how to interrupt in your inner life so you can "take your thoughts captive" and not be captive to your thoughts!

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Be Encouraged podcast is practical, in the moment, thoughtful encouragement.