July 2023 Issue 208

Want more energy? Lose these drainers!

I could give you a dozen reasons for stopping that mental runaway train, but in this issue we'll focus on just one. Worry, and all its cousins, drain your energy. If you indulge in these drainers for hours and days and weeks, they'll make you exhausted.

Being tired is a common complaint among singles. Energy-sapping thinking is one of the main causes, but it's a habit that's hard to break. Experts will tell you one of the most effective ways to eliminate a bad habit is to replace it with a good one. By filling that vacuum with something motivating, you stop the drain and inspire yourself.

And isn't that the name of this awesomesauce newsletter? Hah! No coincidence.

Out with the bad and in with the good in this month's feature article, Want more energy?

That kind of love

I beat myself up; I ran myself down.
My critic stared back from my mirror.
I tortured myself inside of my head,
and I did it year after year.

One day a preacher changed all that,
as he told us what Jesus went through.
He stopped in his sermon and held up a cross:
"He did it because he loves you."

That kind of love is an awfully rare thing.
That kind of love stops you cold.
That kind of love turns your world upside down.
It's something more precious than gold.

That kind of love is the object of hope.
It's the stuff you dream of at night.
That kind of love has miraculous power
to heal you and make your life right.

Jesus is waiting to enter your heart.
His purpose is holy and true.
He wants to restore you with that kind of love.
When he shows up, what will you do?

~ Jack Zavada, www.inspiration-for-singles.com, 2023 ~

Can you really trust God?

Jesus trusted God the Father and what did it get him? The most painful death sinful human beings could devise. But then, when things seemed hopeless, his miraculous resurrection changed the universe forever! Jesus is now the King of Kings, reigning eternally in heaven in magnificent glory.

What does that have to do with you, and with this book, Hope for Hurting Singles? It's about a different way of life, trusting God instead of what you see or feel.

You'll discover how to let God guide you through loneliness, fear, depression—all the dark valleys of the single life. These biblical principles work, because God works. God is trustworthy.

You'll see why you can't trust the world or even yourself, but you can trust God. This is a how-to manual for letting Jesus live his life through you.

Hope for Hurting Singles is $10.99 in paperback or $3.99 for the Kindle version. Order your copy today. It will make a difference in your life.

QOTM: Get enthusiastic!

Christians, of all people, should be enthusiastic. We singles don't feel very enthusiastic sometimes, but this simple change in attitude can make all the difference in the world.

First, we're saved. Second, Jesus loves us, individually and passionately. Third, we have a mind-boggling future awaiting us when we die, and fourth, the Holy Spirit lives inside each one of us right now to help us on the journey Home.

Does it make you want to shout, Sister? How about you, Brother? Season your life with enthusiasm, and taste and see the goodness of the Lord!

Wait…what? Christianity is an adventure?

But go back and read the book of Acts and you find the wildest adventure in history. People being raised from the dead. The blind and lame being healed. Angels popping in with last minute rescues. The wickedest persecutor in an entire country transformed into Christianity's greatest mover-and-shaker.

What would it be like if you and I saw our Faith as an adventure? How much power would the Holy Spirit give us if we dared to step out? What could we do if we gave Jesus all the glory?

Start by seeing how Christianity is an adventure.

Two truths to make your life calmer

Over time, you discover basic truths no one wants to admit. Here are two principles that will help you better understand what's going on.

Everyone is putting on a front.

When I worked for a publicly traded utility company, my coworker, Vickie, had to prepare a 3-ring binder for the CEO before the annual shareholders' meeting. At this meeting, people who owned stock in the company could ask the head honcho any question they wanted.

He was afraid of being embarrassed in front of these stockholders.

Vickie and several other people compiled a huge list of possible questions and their answers. It took her about a month to do this. When the vice presidents were all satisfied, the CEO received the binder to study before the meeting. As far as I know, he got through the event just fine.

Your boss is worried but may never admit it. Do everything you can to make him or her look good, and don't obsess about who gets the credit. If your boss is a halfway decent human being, he or she will value you and see you're rewarded.

Don't be intimidated by people who seem to know more or act arrogantly. They're putting on a front. This is a fact of life and you can take it to the bank.

You can only do your best. You can't do more than that.

But once you've done your best, your honest, very best, you can't do more than that, and it's a mistake to think you could have somehow exceeded that level. This kind of second-guessing is self-destructive. It's an energy-drainer, as we learned above.

Do your best. Give every task in life your top effort, then leave it there. I wasn't valedictorian of my high school class. I finished fourth, but I did my best. I never wasted time thinking I could have done better.

No matter what happens in life, if you know you did your best, you should rest easy. That's why Christianity is an adventure: Jesus loves you for yourself, not your performance. You don't have to compete for his love.

As my former pastor, Rev. Ernie Pizzamiglio once said, "It's okay to be humble, because with Jesus you're number one!"

And that, single friend, ends my mini-lectures and this issue of Inspire-O-Gram. If you want to give me an "Atta boy" or a "Whoa! What was THAT about?," our hack-proof contact form will scoot your message right into my personal inbox. Yea!

Thanks once again for allowing me to visit you. I hope you found something helpful here.

Until August then,

Jack Zavada
PS: Not a Christian? Find out how to become one!