Being Joyful in the Heart, in your 'Psalms', and to Others--Inspiration!

The sun is shining; it is warm...the autumn crisp that was here a week ago has melted away and the air is summery again. There are crunchy leaves starting to build around the cement stairs and every morning the grass is dewy with the evening sprinkling rain. I feel so inspired to write about the happiness and joy I've been feeling now that I've made a definite choice to be happy, regardless of circumstances and the events that have encumbered me of late. Here, I have a small list of inspirational quotes that help me focus on the bellezza of everyday. I'm sharing them with you so that you may feel that heartfelt peace too.

I know that some of you who read this blog may not be Christians or follow the Bible, but even if you don't believe in it, I think there are some wonderful, inspiring things to learn and live by in the Bible, even if you aren't of that faith. Some of the parables give wonderful examples of how to keep pushing forward and how to get through each day. If you don't even believe in God, at least you can believe in yourself to make the changes in your perspectives, your opinions, your whole view of the world. The healthier your spiritual heart is, the happier your day will be, and the healthier your view of the world will be!

One of my favorite books in the whole Bible is Psalms, and I often get a lot of my scriptures du jour from this book. (I usually text out an uplifting verse to many friends and family members of faith every day.) The word 'psalms' has a relatively interesting linguistic history. The name of the book that King David is said to have written was a series of different spiritual and uplifting songs and poems. You can consider them to be the very first Christian songs in written history for all I know! When the King James Bible was first compiled and all the writings translated, the term 'Psalms' was used for the 150 songs collected for this particular section of the Bible. (There was a special organizational system used for all the many wonderful written works, and so being, a section for the poems and different expressive writings that are more poetic and full of praise, rather than parables, letters, or lessons.) During that time, there was a word 'psealm,' from a Middle English term for song. The Middle English term came from a later Latin word, 'psalmus,' closely related to the original Greek term, 'psalmos,' which means the sound of the harp when its strings are plucked. If you would like a brief history of the King James Bible, visit this informative web page describing its history here. 

Here are some of the wonderfully inspiring quotes I would like to share with you (not all are from Psalms, but a majority is, and the majority is either in my own version of the KJV verse, or else from a different version of the Bible as to understand it better): 

"The will Lord bless you, and keep you: The Lord will make His face shine upon you, and be gracious to you: The Lord gives His support to you and gives you peace" (Numbers 6: 24-26)

"Both riches and honor come to you, and you will reign over all; and in your hand is power and might; and in your hand it is to make you great, and to give strength to others. (1 Chronicles 29:12) 

"Be strong and not let your hands become weak, for your work shall be rewarded." (2 Chronicles 15:7)

"The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows His handywork" (Psalms 19:1) 

[My interpretation of this verse is that Heaven is God's beautiful creation and basically it affects all surrounding it or encompassing it--wherever Heaven may be... (as the term, 'firmament,' refers to the space in the sky, involving where the stars, planets, and possibly the rest of the universe expands...)

“The Lord is near to all who call to Him, to all that call to Him in truth. He will fulfill the desires for those who fear Him; He will also hear their cry, and will save them.” (Psalms 145:18-19) 

“He or she who sows tears shall reap joy. When he or she moves forward and weeps, bearing precious seeds, he or she will return, without doubt, rejoicing, bringing sheaves along.” (Psalms 126:5-6)

(*Sheaves are special pulleys used to house steel ropes or other types of strong ropes...and in this instance, they would be used to pull the harvested Joys in a cart or other type of carrying tool.)

"Sing to the Lord, all of you saints, and give thanks in remembrance of His holiness" (Psalms 30:4)

"A little that a righteous man has is better than the riches of the wicked." (Psalms 37:16)

"My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of the heart and my portion forever." (Psalms 73:26)

"Behold how good and how pleasant it is for the body of people to dwell together in unity" (Psalms 133:1)

"The path of the just is like the shining light that shines more and more in a perfect day." (Proverbs 4:18)

"The merciful one does good to his or her own soul, but the one who is cruel is trouble to his or her own flesh." (Proverbs 11:17)

And some non-Biblical inspiring quotes:

"The firm, the enduring, the simple, and the modest are near to virtue." (Confucius)

"It's a sign of mediocrity when you demonstrate gratitude with moderation." (Roberto Benigni)

"Rudeness is the weak man's imitation of strength." (Eric Hoffer)

"Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one's courage." (Anais Nin)

If you have any inspirational quotes, Biblical or not, please share them with me! I love inspiring words and encouragement. Let's spread the happiness and joys around and teach others how to get to this this place, transforming the hearts. 

And I end this blog of the day with: " Think of all the beauty still left around you and be happy." (Anne Frank).

Find your bellezza (beauty) and hold onto it dearly!

Ciao, lovies!