Is Attitude Everything?

Can our attitude affect and change the way our day and our life goes? Can we turn the course of it simply by adjusting our mind? Do you believe that is true, that our minds can control our brain and the affects it has on our body, our mind and our behavioral reactions resulting in a good life?

I recently had a day that started out fantastic, we were on a great trip, driving home from a long summer vacation and stopped at a great location for dinner. However  the oppressive heat was causing the town to close down the shops and restaurants, so we kept driving. Then event by event of the day, circumstances were changing beyond our literal control. My damaged shoulder joints were hurting like I've never quite felt before. My husband got food poisoning from a bad pizza the night before and we next encountered a scary incident where we missed a car coming at us head on, and 1/4 of an inch we could have been hit. We were pretty shaken by that car incident  and realized how the hand of God was on us and we were spared our lives. We went from feelings of being shocked and mad at the driver to being very thankful. 

We could have stayed in the moment of fear, anger and discouragement over our day so far and that driver's bad driving and stupidity but instead we took a moment and praised God for his protection. I walked in to a pit stop out in the boondocks to a restroom on our journey and when I walked in there was a sign on the wall that said, "Count your blessings, not your problems." I felt challenged in my soul again to stop and thank God for the blessings we have had along this trip.

I have heard it said in a quote before; "We can't control what happens to us, but we can control our reactions to it."

We have a choice in every annoying situation and tragic circumstances we are faced with to "choose joy" and thankfulness or become bitter at the things life throws at us.

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”

Stress Under Control

We know one thing that is for sure, there is stress in life.  We know this is a fact, but sometimes we just don't know what to do or how to respond to the stresses of life. If we can avoid the next stage that happens after stress takes over in a negative way that being "burn out" then we are in a good place. Stress, either positive or negative is a warning sign. It is a threat if we allow it to take over. Here are some examples and tips on what to do to have control over stress when it arrives at your life's doorstep.

THINGS TO DO TO LOWER STRESS 

1. EXERCISE-

Lowers stress hormones..coping skills work better.

2. THINK OF STRESS DIFFERENTLY, YOUR OUTLOOK-

Try to not think of stress as a threat..convince your mind, see it as a growth opportunity 

3. NURTURE RELATIONSHIPS- 

Value people in your relationships..reports of people with this in their life are happier.

4. NOURISHING YOUR FATIH WALK- 

Attending church, prayer, reading your bible, meditating on God's goodness..lowers stress levels.

Teas for your Emotions

I am currently an affiliate representative for a wonderful physical & emotional wellbeing company! This company personally has been a great resource in my life and those in my path that I try to help with emotional support. Click here to go to the website and order even a sample of the teas. Teamotions Tea

"Teamotions is a revolutionary tea company dedicated to helping others manage stress and support both physical and emotional well-being. We accomplish this by using adaptogen herbs and other complementary botanicals in each of our tea blends. Used for centuries and backed by science, adaptogens are stress-fighting herbs that help boost immunity, improve the body's response to all types of stress, and restore well-being in every way. We spent over a year developing each of our all natural, hand-crafted, whole leaf wellness teas sourcing the finest ingredients to create the most effective and delicious tea blends possible. They are award-winning, beautiful, enjoyable to drink, and will truly make a difference in how you feel."

Magnify your God

Have you ever noticed when you focus too long on something, anything, whether good or bad, happy or sad, positive or negative it can become an obsession and a distraction?

Satan was once a magnifier of God, when he was an angel. He was the one to give glory to God and now, is the magnifier of our sin, our troubles, our anxieties and the darkness in this world.  It helps me to gain perspective when times are tough and I begin to focus on problems and trials and trauma in the world too much and those things become magnified and that is when I worry and and start to doubt or fear.

"Greater is he who is in you than he who is in the world"

Today make a conscience effort to magnify God not your worries, banish the enemy back to where he belongs, do not allow your focus to get off of God and his goodness. Psalms 34 says, "Oh magnify the Lord with me, let us exalt his name together." John 10:10, 'The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." Focus on the fruits of the spirit to fill your mind, those are the very things the enemy wants to steal from you but you own them in Christ.

Out of Focus

Is your life feeling out of "focus"? Out of focus with no clarity for your future, or is it blurred as if wearing the wrong "glasses"and the wrong prescription because you are listening to all the wrong advice, opinions and the wrong people? You know that can happen and listening to the wrong 'voices' too long on a blurred view of your life can eventually lead us down the wrong roads.  In Proverbs 4:26 it says "Give careful thought to the paths of your feet and be steadfast in all your ways." 
Psalm 16:11 says "You make know to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand." Some people want to be on the 'right path' and trusting God to clear the vision, but they don't want to follow his words and listen to the voice of the shepherd. There are answers for the uncertainties you are in and the anxiety you feel about your life, but today make sure you are listening to the right ones. "John 10:27, " My sheep hear my voice and I know them, and they follow me." 

In times of trial

2 Corinthians 1:4 "who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God."

When you read God's word and learn about having joy in trials, or trusting God, sometimes you don't really know how it applies to you until you go through a stormy time yourself. Why would I need to hold onto Christ as my steadfast in a storm if I am living a safe and comfy life, there is no need to hold on. Times of trails and suffering is a chance and opportunity we are given to draw closer to the Lord more than any other time. 
Use the trials and suffering you have gone through as a way to learn to help others going through similar storms. 

The "Joy" we are admonished to have in trials is not taking joy in the pain of the trial, but rather having true joy in the fact that our heavenly Father loves us and cares for us. The trials we are enduring are there to mold, shape, and change us into the obedient children that our Father would have us be. So the next time your faith is tested, stand strong and persevere, knowing that you are being examined and prepared for the future. 

Coaching tip:

HOW DO WE ATTEND TO SUFFERING PEOPLE?

• gain biblical understanding 
• committee to being very cautious 
• be a conduit for the calming grace of God 
• imitate the love and grace of God 
• accept their words 
• Affirm their dignity and value (door of HOPE) be there as a “hopeful presence” (by just being there we are being that door of hope.

What is your trust in?

Trust in the Lord....I hear this verse and the phrase is used so passively sometimes we forget to really examine what this verse really is meaning to us. 

"Trust in the Lord with all your heard, and do not lean on your own understanding but in all your ways acknowledge him and he will make your paths straight."

If I TRUST in  something, I believe it with everything I am. I am going to get on a plane, I am trusting FULLY in that plane and the pilot to fly me to my next destination. I don't even look that pilot up or want to see his credentials! We all just pay the money, we book our flights, we board the jet with total confidence in his ability to fly us safely on our journey. Quite amazing really! 

We can TRUST IN the Lord's faithfulness.

The next part of the verse is "and do not LEAN on your own understanding". To lean on something we depend on it. If i see a wall or area to rest while I wait for an appointment, I feel a little tired so I LEAN on that area, dependent on it that it is secure and won't fall or move when I do lean against it. Do we check the other side of it to make sure it is secure? No, we have faith that it's been made properly by a contractor a long time ago when they built the structure. My understanding is invalid because I don't know what went into the process of making the building dependable to use.

We can DEPEND UPON his faithfulness.

The final part of the verse is "and HE will make our paths straight." If we are trusting with all our heart, and not leaning on our own understanding then we are FULLY aware that we are in need of God's direction, and not our own, so we are saying we are "all in" Jesus, we trust and believe that our lives are not our own, and that whatever path or direction you want to take us on, we will go in that way not fighting for our rights and own plan but open to correction and change of course along the way of life.