Tis The Season...Finding Peace in the Process
“Peace is the result of retraining your mind to process life as it is, rather than as you think it should be.”
― Wayne W. Dyer, There's a Spiritual Solution to Every Problem
It never fails, this time of year I find myself grumbling under my breath, miserable at the site of happy couples sipping hot chocolate and families enjoying the holiday shopping frenzy. All those little cute faces and goo goo eyes make me want to scream like the Grinch. Here I am skipping along in my little life thinking that I'm content being a single mom and BAM!...the holiday sneaks up on me yet again and all the loneliness, envy, and questioning come bubbling up to the surface. The death of a dream. There is no white picket fence, no perfect little home, no husband...this is not what I signed up for!!! This isn't how all the fairy tale movies end!!! And yet I am surprised by it EVERY time! And I find myself wanting to curl up in a cave and wait out the winter storm. John 14:27 says;"I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid." This year I will find peace in the process.
Here are 6 ways that you can find peace:
1. It could ALWAYS be worse - start your day by giving thanks for what you do have, post it somewhere, speak it. Pay attention to your thoughts throughout the day. When you find yourself grumbling and complaining give thanks. Challenge yourself to go the whole day without complaining and watch what happens. "Praise the Lord because he is good to us,and his love never fails." 1 CHRONICLES 16:34
2. Change the music - change the music in your head, change the music in your car. Stop listening to depressing sappy songs and get a little pep in your step.
3. Skip the prozac - and go for a walk instead. Studies show that as little as three hours of regular exercise a week reduces the symptoms of mild to moderate depression as effectively as Prozac and other antidepressants.
4. Phone a friend - don't go it alone. There are others out there just like you, that are feeling the same way. Did you know that the phrase “one another” appears more than 50 times in the New Testament alone? So either God had a stuttering problem or he was trying to make a point. We find strength and healing in one another. And if you are worried about being a burden (because that is usually what the little voice in my head tells me) DON'T. It is a LIE! And that is exactly where satan would like to keep you. Isolated and alone.
5. Avoid the mall like the plague - HAHA ok maybe not but seriously, why put yourself through the torture. Grab some hot cocoa, pop in a Christmas movie, curl up with a blanket, open up that iPad and shop away. No stress....enjoy the process of gifting without the headache and guilt over the fact that you are doing it alone. It is a season, this too shall pass. :-)
6. If you have a need, sow a seed - take your mind off of you and use your gifts and talents to bless someone else. Find a nursing home, a soup kitchen, another single mom. Find someone who could use a little help and sow in love. It will come back, I promise.
Caught up in the chaos and He is ALL that you and I need. If we let him He will make this season beautiful....a beautiful mess.
Question: How have you found peace through a difficult season in your life?