Have you ever had a day when everything went wrong …when you need to draw on internal resources to get through things? I have had a day like that last weekend. It started with a water leak in my basement bringing water all throughout a section where there were paper boxes. All the boxes began to get soaked that were in the area of the leak. Then later that day my husband put something on our smoker/grill and dropped a bucket of oil all throughout the side of our cement patio. If you have ever tried to get oil out of cement, it can be a challenge.
Then to top it off my husband put a small glass bowl down the disposal and all the glass got eaten up stopping up the disposal! Each time something happened I prayed and trusted that I would be able to have the resources and peace to get through the mishaps. I had to believe that we would navigate through each obstacle successfully. Fortunately, everything got resolved in several days, but it felt like something to write about as everyone can have days like this.
It might start out with a call from your school that your children are having difficulty. Or you get into a fight with your spouse and feel like it is insurmountable to work through. Or physical things like what I shared happen in which you have no control. I believe we have to draw on the supernatural power that is available to us. We many times can’t navigate through these things in our own strength. I have learned over the last through years a lot about self-sufficiency. I used to rely on my own ability to overcome difficulties. Now, I have found it easier to relinquish control and trust God to get me through.
If you have ever been in a 12-step program, you know that the first step is to acknowledge that your life has become unmanageable in a particular area. It mostly addresses addictions like alcohol or food, but many of us have addictions of wanting to control, to be busy to avoid things, or just fix life events that keep tumbling down on us. What I love about the program is that we have to admit we are powerless and need to rely on a power greater than ourselves when life is unmanageable.
Examine your own life and discover where you feel like your life is out of control and you are trying to rely on your strength. This time of year can be hectic, and you may be wondering how you are going to get through the season with everything on your plate. Rest assured that if you give up trying to control everything, things will fall together easier and you will feel more peaceful and less frenzied during the holidays.
Make this holiday a time of peace and experiencing the joy of what the true season represents. I like to take time to be reflective, get quiet with myself and just rest in the beauty of the season.
I wish you an abundance of peace in your holiday pursuits,