Stillness

I read something over the weekend that I’d like to share with you. Wish I could take credit for it, but the author is unknown. May you read with benefit and allow the holidays to speak to you, not stress you.

Stillness Nurtures Peace in my Soul

The hectic pace of life may seem to push me to keep busy, yet a full calendar could leave me feeling exhausted and at odds with others. So I practice caring for myself by making time to be still.

Prayer and meditation are priorities in my day. A moment of gratitude before I get out of bed becomes a seed of pace planted early. I take the opportunity to pray wherever I am with whatever time I have available. As I wait in line or move between appointments, I focus on my breath.I slow my breathing. Each cleansing breath calms my racing thoughts. I may whisper a phrase like “peace, be still” to my being. Stillness nurtures peace in my soul. Restored and renewed, I return to my day at peace.

In the morning, while it was still very dark, he got up and went out to a deserted place, and there he prayed – Mark 1:35

Step Into The Unknown

I’d like to talk about an election. Not the presidential election, but I have a friend who ran for property appraiser of his county four years ago and lost by 90 votes. He decided to run again in the recent election and asked if I would help and be in charge of his social media. I lived hours away in another county and never did any campaigning besides running for a high school student government office, but I agreed to assist. He didn’t have appraisal experience but is a strong community leader with the education and diverse skills needed to successfully manage any office. It took a lot of courage for my friend to run without experience and some perseverance to run a second time. 

It takes faith to step out of our comfort zone and into the unknown. When we follow God without a clue of where He is leading us, we invite new levels of influence, wisdom, endurance and so much more. Doubts can make us never try anything new and walk away from new opportunities, but when we trust and follow God, doors we never imagined are opened. Well, my friend won the seat of property appraiser by over 2, 000 votes. His first step is to now become a certified appraiser and be the best appraiser God created him to be. He stepped into the unknown and trusted God. What a testimony he has! 

I wasn’t running for office, but I also had to trust God with my lack of campaigning experience. The key for me was to remove any reliance on my limited, natural abilities and abide in God’s supernatural, omnipotent presence. Is there something new you’ve been wanting to explore? Is there something burning in your spirit that you’d like to pursue? Trust and follow God! Step out of your comfort zone and into the unknown!

Respect My Choices

Last night while watching 60 Minutes, there was a segment showing a forum of 25 voters representing various races, genders, and social backgrounds. The subject of the forum? Of course the presidential election. I watched as the selected voters expressed anger and dissatisfaction with the candidates plus their lack of tolerance for the opposing views of other forum members. 

I understand politics can be a touchy subject but everyone is entitled to their opinion, right? It reminds me of society’s inability to accept others. We’ve all been guilty of this whether it’s with a spouse, friend, co-worker, family member or even our own children. “Why would you do that?” “Don’t say that.” “You shouldn’t do this or that.” We may not accept the beliefs and choices of others, but I believe we should at least learn to respect them. 

It takes a Jesus level of love to accept people for who they are and the choices they make when we don’t agree. Can another person’s opinion or choice hurt us? Who says our choice is correct? The important thing is to stay focused and grounded on our own beliefs and not allow the voices of others to sway or shake us. Much of the beauty of our country is in the diversity we represent. There is strength in diversity and it should be acknowledged on all accounts. If we all thought alike and had the same values, morals, and made the same choices, what a boring country we’d have. Whatever our choices in life are, stand by them, yet respect the choices and voices of others as well.