August 13, 2019 Issue #161

Avoiding bitterness: How to escape hell-on-earth

I'm talking about bitterness. I've had enough personal experience with it to assure you it can turn your life into hell-on-earth. Whether you're caught in it right now, or if you're tempted in the future to become bitter over a loss, this month's feature is for you.

This is a must-know life lesson, fellow singleton. It's another one of those stupid things I did that I want you to learn from. The good news is that there was a happy ending to the story. I climbed out of bitterness and you can too.

Please read this month's article on avoiding bitterness all the way through. You'll be glad you did.

Ball and chain

The hurt cut deep and rent my heart,
I reveled in my pain.
And on that day I willingly
Clamped on a ball and chain.

I dragged it everywhere I went.
I made my private hell.
Whenever someone asked me,
I was always glad to tell.

I chronicled my suffering,
How life had done me wrong.
And all my friends deserted me.
It did not take them long.

One day an old man spoke to me,
"I recognize your pain.
I know the way of bitterness.
I pulled a ball and chain.

"My grudge made me a martyr,
At least in my own eyes.
My food became the words
Of anyone who'd sympathize.

"One day I found the torturer
Who made joy disappear.
He was staring at me
When I looked into the mirror.

"So here's a piece of wise advice
Before I say goodbye.
When you unlock that ball and chain
That's the moment you will fly."

~ Jack Zavada, www.inspiration-for-singles.com, 2019 ~

When you wake up in the morning, do you feel like jumping out of bed to start a new adventure?

Hope for Hurting Singles can change that. This is not one of those sappy self-help books that's as nourishing as cotton candy. No, this guide to the single life digs deep into the aggravations that steal your joy and offers real, proven solutions.

Proven? Darn right! Author Jack Zavada took his 40 years of trial-and-error and converted those lessons into an action plan for true, lasting change.

Hope for Hurting Singles shows you how to fix your faulty thinking and replace it with clear-eyed truth. This stuff isn't for wimps! It's for singles who are serious about breaking free from negative patterns and reaching for a bigger, happier life.

Is that you? You can find out by reading the entire first chapter, free, RIGHT HERE.

Hope for Hurting Singles is only $10.99 at amazon.com. Put on your grown-up pants and order your copy today!

Back to Swindoll for August's QOTM

Think about the teachers you had in elementary and high school. Don't you have the best memories of the ones who encouraged you? I do. My high school English teacher, Carole Sue Richardson, encouraged me to write. That's how I earned my living for 30 years and what I'm still doing today. She did change my life!

We singles can get more satisfaction out of life by encouraging other people. Everybody is hungry for a sincere word of support or appreciation. Here's one of the great secrets of life: Everybody is engaged in a hard struggle. Everybody.

Young people, especially, feel unsure about themselves. It's a tough time of life. I still remember Mrs. Richardson's kindness 50 years later — and I'll never forget it.

Reach out and encourage someone. Do it on a regular basis. God uses us as his healing instruments. Praise someone who needs it. You really can change their life.

Got a blah kind of life? Try this!

Many years ago I stumbled on a trick that keeps me chugging ahead. It's based on the carrot-and-stick method — but without the stick. You've probably seen cartoons of somebody with a donkey harnessed to a cart, holding a carrot just in front of the donkey so it keeps walking toward it. The stick, of course, was a switch the person used to swat the poor beast when the carrot failed to work.

We singles don't need to swat ourselves. We get enough of that already. But we do need to dangle a "carrot" in front of ourselves to keep us motivated.

Here's the simple secret:

You know what you enjoy. It's different for each of us. Treat yourself to a reward to keep life entertaining. I didn't invent this trick, but I have made good use of it over the years. You can too.

Here's an article with how to do it the most effective way.

This may be the most empowering truth on earth

We Christians, on the other hand, have Jesus.

When you finally grasp the truth that Jesus loves you, it really does change your life. It makes you want to jump for joy, like that girl at the left. I'm a geezer now, but it still makes me do the happy dance! Remember that truth the next time you feel disappointed, lonely, or scared. Jesus loves you. He's on your side. He's interceding for you with God the Father. He's your big brother, your BFF, and your Savior. He's going to make your life perfect in heaven, and that's the truth.

Here in Illinois, in the USA, kids will be heading back to school soon. In a few weeks fall will arrive, my favorite season of the year. The trees here turn a paintbox of different colors, the weather crisps down to an invigorating cool and that always gives me a new burst of energy.

Wherever you live, I hope you enjoyed this issue of Inspire-O-Gram as much as I enjoyed putting it together for you. If the Spirit prompts you to zing me an email about this newsletter or anything else in the single life, this link will take you to our secure contact form.

It will go directly into my personal inbox, and I'll write you back within 3 days.

That does it for August, single friend. Remember, life takes a happy turn when you stop feeling sad about what you don't have and begin thanking God for all the good things you do have.

Until September,

Jack Zavada