Enthusiasm: antidote to a ho-hum life

How do you revive your enthusiasm when you feel burned out by discouragement?

Ah, now that's one of the big questions of singlehood. Let's review the things that have proven, without a doubt, NOT to work:

Drugs
Alcohol
Shopping
Promiscuity
Gambling
Overeating
Social media
Complaining

So what does work? Glad you asked! Find out in this issue's feature article.

Makes you wanna shout

When you feel lonely
And you're down in the Dumpster.
You're not the only
One sad and confused.

Hey look what you got,
Instead of what you are lacking.
Turn to the One
Who can wipe out your blues.

A party is coming
And you are invited.
Won't be no worries,
No crying or doubt.
Everyone dancing,
'Cause they got the Spirit.
Love for the hurting,
Say it makes you wanna shout.

It's the fulfillment
Of life's greatest promise.
Living forever,
I know that it's true.

Trust in the Savior.
And he'll make it happen.
He's the solution
For me and for you.

Yeah a party is coming
And you are invited.
Won't be no worries,
No crying or doubt.
Everyone dancing,
'Cause they got the Spirit.
Love for the hurting,
Say it makes you wanna shout.
Love for the hurting,
Say it makes you wanna shout.

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

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

If not, the missing ingredient is hope. The single life has a way of turning your hope into roadkill, making each day a foot-slogging ordeal instead of an exciting celebration.

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!

How to avoid the worst kind of wrinkles

March's Quote of the Month comes from Watterson Lowe, who seems to be a mystery person, because I couldn't find anything about him on the Internet. But he did have a wise thought on avoiding wrinkles:

Years wrinkle the face, but to give up enthusiasm wrinkles the soul.
~ Watterson Lowe ~

People who have no enthusiasm do seem to have a wrinkled soul, don't they? And sadly, you don't have to have a wrinkled face to reach that state. You can be a pessimistic young person.

To paraphrase the slogan, "Things go better with Coke," life goes better with enthusiasm. It makes you want to shout. It makes you want to dance. And most importantly, it makes you want to keep going because you know every day is a new opportunity.

Attitude makes all the difference, single friend. Make yours enthusiastic.

Where do you live? Not where you think!

If I were to ask where you live, you might tell me the country or state or even your street address.

While that's where your home is located, you and I do most of our living inside our heads. Your mind is the abode of your thought-life. That's where you take in information about the world and form an opinion about it. That's where you re-live every conversation and experience, again and again. Much of the data is neutral, such as the time of a meeting you have to go to or that your car needs gasoline. Other details are subject to your interpretation. What did the boss mean by that remark? I wonder if that person would go out with me? I wish Jim would get his act together.

Our filters—the way we respond to situations—are formed by our memories, prejudices, and emotions. Sometimes we interpret things accurately, sometimes not. The important thing to understand is that we DO interpret everything that comes into our mind. Some things make us afraid, others angry. We get jealous or hurt or happy by how we regard the input. This becomes our worldview.

As a single, how can you improve your worldview? How can you make your mind a comfortable place to live instead of a torture chamber?

I wrestled with those questions for many years. Too often I was guilty of beating myself up. You have to become conscious that you're doing something before you can change it.

I believe having a healthy worldview depends on a good knowledge of Scripture. It's only by knowing where we stand with God and what drives people that we can accurately judge the facts that come into our mind. Life is less threatening when you trust in God. Our feelings are not so easily hurt when we realize how much God loves and approves us. We feel more optimistic when we are grounded in the truth of God's sovereignty. Knowing the Ten Commandments helps us judge the dictates of society.

Just as you wouldn't want your physical home to become a pigsty, don't let your mental home turn into one either. Here's an excellent article by my friend Mary Fairchild on spiritual spring cleaning.

Do something different: Be kind to yourself

Keeping with our year-long theme of doing something different, here's a radical idea: Be kind to yourself.

Today, more than ever, society holds up impossible ideals for us to imitate. Can you be a tall, thin supermodel with gorgeous hair? No? Then there's something wrong with you and you need to fix it. Can you be a buffed, square-chinned man with perfect teeth? No? You're a loser, then.

Wrong!

You and I don't need to live up to artificial standards. What we do need to do is be the most authentic self we can be. Choosing to be like Christ is a challenging goal for all of us, and a worthwhile one at that. But when you fail—as we all do—don't belittle yourself. Instead, remember this is a lifelong process, aided by the Holy Spirit. Be compassionate when you look in the mirror. Be kind to yourself, single friend!

Thanks to a subscriber named Todd, who let me know he had not received his Inspire-O-Gram for a couple months. When I finish writing each issue, I run it through a spam filter to try to make it as clean as possible. However, the spam filter on your email program may be even more rigorous. This newsletter always comes out on a Tuesday, so if you don't receive it by the end of the month, please check your spam folder. It may be hiding there!

I enjoy hearing your comments and suggestions for future issues. When you use our secure contact form, it shoots your email directly to my personal inbox. And you will hear back from me.

Easter is coming up in April, something to look forward to. This year use the occasion to thank Jesus for securing a place for you in heaven. You are loved!

Jack Zavada

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