Happy New Year! I sincerely hope that these first few days of this new year find you hopeful, and joyfully anticipating great things as we enter a new decade!

It would be my guess that when you read the topic of the blog, you focused on such words, i.e. prospect, future, point of view, etc. That’s great, however I want to give you some food for thought from a very different perspective.

Recently my husband preached a message from the story of Cain and Abel found in the 4th chapter of Genesis. The story speaks of both Cain and Abel each bringing an offering unto the Lord. Although they were very different in substance, they both were very well prepared. The bible doesn’t tell us why, but we learn that Abel’s offering was received, but Cain’s was rejected. As a result, the bible states that Cain “was very wroth”, and further described that his countenance fell. Because things did not go the way Cain anticipated, and moreover it appeared that the Lord was blessed by Abel’s offering and not his, Cain’s whole demeanor changed. Wroth is not a word we hear or use much in modern times, but it simply means angry or even violent! Because of Cain’s devastation, he went through a myriad of emotions that were outwardly expressed for all to see. He probably was hurt, embarrassed, jealous, angry – just plain MAD! He was mad about it!!

As I rose to extend the altar invitation to the congregation following my husband’s sermon, I was prompted to ask those present, how are they going to react moving forward when things don’t quite go their way. Some of us are so visibly readable and transparent with our facial expressions and gestures, it doesn’t leave anything to anyone’s imagination that we are upset about something. As the saying goes, people can “read” us like a book! It is a proven fact that what is going on inside, will eventually manifest itself outside.

If indeed we are persons who profess Christianity, and live our lives in a Christ like manner, how are we displaying what this life is really like? Is our outward appearance depicting a life of disappointment, rejection, unhappiness, unfulfillment? Sure, at some point every person on earth will experience all of the aforementioned emotions. However, if we really trust God as we should, we are assured that “this too shall pass”. If we dwell on the negative, or the experiences that oftentimes are beyond our control too long, our outward persona will most definitely tell the story.

This year, what will be your “outlook”? Will you be able to push past those inward feelings, with a smile, or at the very least do your level best to look pleasant knowing that if we truly trust God, all things will work out for our good. To help me in this area, I have had to privately tell myself that I never know who is watching me and for what reason. Maybe someone has heard about me, knows what I do for a living, and is wondering is she really living the life she preaches / teaches. Of course, I want people to know that I am a “real person”, not fake or phony, but a true genuine person. I experience many of the same challenges as anyone else. But the difference is that because I know who I am, and whose I am, that requires me to LOOK LIKE IT. I must “look” the part – walk the walk, talk the talk, and look the look! The bottom line is that I want the world to know that living a life for God has caused me to proclaim that the good far outweighs the bad; every time I turn around, I see blessings on blessings! Thank you, Anthony Brown, for those incredible lyrics! YOU WANT TO SEE A BLESSING JUST LOOK AT ME! The name of our church is God’s Way Ministries Intl. Early in our existence, we coined the phrase “How ya livin’? The response was “Livin’ life God’s Way”! As of this year, I am adding another question. “How ya lookin”? The answer should be a resounding . . . “Lookin” like God’s Way”!!

So now, I will close with the opening question . . .

What’s Your OUTLOOK for 2020?

Source: First Lady Denise