I’ve been stuck at home a lot lately because the ramp on my van was broken… I could rent a van…. for almost $200 a day. Uh, that’s ok…They said it would be a month or more before it’s fixed, so that’s a little too pricey! I do, thankfully, have a portable ramp that I use in a pinch – but, it’s very steep and takes some muscle to get me up in there… although, I do use it when I absolutely have to get out of the house. For the most part though, I’ve just been stuck at home. So here I am with a lot of extra time on my hands and I can either look at it with a positive or negative outlook. I’m not going to lie and tell you that it’s been the easiest situation to deal with, but I also know God’s in control and I must need this time at home for a reason. I can either look for the positives about being stuck at home and enjoy my time, or I can dwell on the negatives and make the whole experience miserable and dragged out. I vote to enjoy my time…. who wants to be miserable the whole time sitting around wishing your circumstances were different wasting the day away?! Not me!
Situations like this always make us reach deep inside to find that inner peace we already have as children of God. We don’t have to tap into His peace. We can focus and harp on all the things that aren’t going right and in turn stay stressed, and overwhelmed, but that inner peace does live in us and we can choose to walk in that light instead.
The same goes for any situation that you just would rather not be dealing with… Do you think I want to be paralyzed? Absolutely not, but yet again, if I focus on the negative aspects of it I will only make myself stressed and miserable living a life of turmoil as it wastes away. I’m stuck… stuck at home with a broken ramp and stuck living life paralyzed. No matter how hard I try I can’t change my circumstances with the van or my paralysis. There is nothing I can do about them except choose what I focus on in regard to them. When I put more focus and energy on what is positive about things, I find how time tends to fly by, that there are added bonuses, and life overall is really good.
No matter what we might be dealing with in our circumstances – whether it’s something wonderful with mountain highs or it’s something terrible with valley lows; I believe our outlook makes an impact on the ultimate outcome. No matter what you might be going through, if you are constantly focused on the negative aspects, fearing the worst, then that’s ALWAYS what you will see – Even if your situation is trying to turn a corner… if all you’re fixated on is what isn’t going right then, to you, it never will go right. Or… on the flip side, if you are believing for the best and focusing on the positive, then to you, even if it’s not good, you know it will get better and you can see the ways it is going right.
Do you consider yourself to be a positive or negative person? When it comes to dealing with everyday issues in life, do you believe for the best or fear the worst? Do you wake up in the morning with thoughts that this is going to be a great day? Or do you already dread what is to come the minute your feet hit the floor?
Do me a favor and try a change of pace and when it seems everything is going bad in your life, and it feels like the walls are crumbling down around you, stop for a second and look for the positives. It may be hard to see them at first. but as you tap into that inner peace that lives inside you as believers in Christ, they will begin to show up. Somehow even though you’re stuck in the middle of a horrible storm, and you feel like you’re drowning, that inner peace will calm you and you’ll feel a life preserver wrapped around you. The more you practice doing this the quicker it comes and the easier it is to see those positive aspects. Every day may not be good, but there’s something good in every day. I dare you try to it!!!
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