How Aggravating is Your Struggle?

Resistance Stretch

 It's quite a relief when we are able to move on with our lives to a new chapter after so much sadness, grief, and turmoil. It's like being held back with a giant rubber band (think of those rubber resistance bands people use at the gym to work out) and suddenly it snaps and we are hurdled forward.

No matter how we got to where we are right now, we can definitely celebrate that we made it! Our strength and determination have led us into a far better environment where we can create something new. It's a wonderful feeling! 

The Struggle is Real
Have you ever tried to survive and raise a family on the salary of a receptionist? Many of us have, including Indra Nooyi, an Indian-American citizen. But she didn't let that stop her. After receiving schooling in India, she moved to New York with little money to continue her studies, but working as a receptionist, she was finally admitted to Yale School of Management. It was difficult, but eventually, Indra received her Master's Degree in Public and Private Management.

Struggles Are Real

The key? Indra never gave up! And that determination soon found her in 1994 as the CEO of PepsiCo where she served until 2018. During her time there, sales grew 80 percent! She also currently serves on the board of Amazon. No one can keep this woman down!    


We, too, need to hang onto those days that we fought to claim as our own! Yet, still, remember we don't live in fantasy land. As long as we are alive, we will have struggles in this life. We all understand things don't always go perfectly as we planned. The difference is that now we know we have the will to make it through whatever troubles come our way. We might even say, we have a "Masters' Degree" in Endurance. 

We may, in fact, still be working on getting settled into the best creative job for us, working on a degree, perhaps finding a new place to live, or searching for the most amazing childcare. And, of course, keeping in touch with encouraging friends and even developing new friendships. Those are all struggles but can be enjoyable if we allow that to happen.     

Faith and Hope  
So where can we turn on those days when we rather just run away? You may find this solution surprising, but the simple answer is "Stand still and stay calm." Take a breath. Most likely, we need a break at that point because fear always grabs hold of us when we are just an inch away from success!

Fear comes from our (spiritual) Enemy who wants nothing else but to destroy anything we are trying to create. So we say we should stand still and stay calm because God has a plan. He Himself will actually fight for us if we ask for His assistance. Then, we wait for God's direction for our next successful step.    
  
"The Lord himself will fight for you. Just stay calm" (Exodus 14:14 NLT).

9 Breakthrough Routines for Your New Life

Film Awards

About three weeks ago, the 91st Academy Awards ceremony (better known as the Oscars) was presented amid all the gala, glitz, and glamour one could stand. It's not something all of us cared to watch in its entirety, but if we are movie-goers of any kind, our interest in the list of winners might have prompted us to spend maybe a minute or two on the results. 

We bring this up because every now and then when giving their acceptance speech, someone at the Oscars has an ounce of practical wisdom worthy of notice. This year we caught the following quote: "It's not about winning, it's about not giving up!" Surprisingly, this came out of the mouth of singer and actress Lady Gaga. We were shocked. But we are not here to talk about the stars. We are more interested in you, fellow sisters.

Not Giving Up!

We have gone through a massive drama ourselves. Maybe it is still very fresh in our minds, or some of us are still navigating the first year or two after a break-up, and others are well on their way to a new destination. One thing is clear: we are all survivors! 

Whichever scene we are currently living in, not giving up must be part of our daily script. Why? you ask. Well, that's a good question, so pose this to yourself: what would I be doing instead?

Yes, sometimes, we don't even want to drag ourselves out of bed in the morning. It's too warm and cozy. It's safe. We don't have to get dressed. And we could turn our phones off, so no one bothers us. That's understandable; we've all been there, but who would get the coffee? (Smile break).  

Remember the script: we are not giving up! We've made it this far, so we already know hiding under the covers does not match up with our new role as a survivor. And the more we practice our part, the better we become and the further we go.

Taking the Plunge

Enjoy the Lilacs

Let's jump into the middle here. For whatever reason--divorce, the death of our spouse, or single mom status--we are on our own now. It still feels strange and will always feel different. But now, we must figure out which path to take that will create the very best life we can manage. 

Most likely, a new routine would be very helpful to our well-being at this point. Trying to do everything the way it always was as a couple creates a lot of stress. Consider some of these fun and encouraging stress-busters and then add your own to the list. 

9 Breakthrough Routines for Your New Life  

Choose a new path for your daily walk and smell the lilacs.

Make scrambled eggs instead of the usual sunny side up.

Wash clothes on Thursdays instead of Mondays.

Change the furniture around and buy new pillows.

Take a class in flower arranging or horticulture.

Share lunch with a single neighbor.

Sleep in the middle of the bed (my favorite).

Attend the late church service instead of the early one. 

Challenge yourself and move to a new place/town/state.

Lost and Found

The road we are on right now will lead somewhere that's for sure. But, where? We have a choice which way to go, but we need a Guide to get us to the right destination because it is easy to get lost and never get anywhere. Then years later we will wonder what happened and why we are in a rut. The Good News is we have the perfect One to help us and He is free of charge! The "ticket" is Prayer and it can be used over and over and over. Find yours today in God's book, the Holy Bible.      

"Show me the right path, O Lord; point out the road for me to follow" (Psalm 25:4 NLT).

Are You Part of a Chain Reaction?

Domino chain reaction

Some people have a lot of fun setting up pieces of a game called dominoes into a long, long line with each piece perfectly facing the next one. This could take hours upon hours, or even days in some cases. Then, when the construction is completely done and ready for excitement, one tiny push of the first domino and the entire winding chain creates a reaction of falling one on top of the other. Lily Hevesh took two days to build her 15,524 piece domino world record. Amazing! Check her YouTube video by clicking here: Amazing Record 

People also can create "a series of events that are related to each other that each one initiates the next." In other words, it only takes one person to do something right--or wrong--and a whole chain reaction happens whether we want it to or not. There are no coincidences in life. We can not walk this life day by day and not affect someone else by what we do or say. 

Crossing Paths

Every day we run into people we know or even perfect strangers because their presence was meant to cross our path for a reason. For instance, maybe this morning we got up and our day started out badly. The can of coffee is empty so we have none to make. The cat threw up all over the kitchen floor and we stepped in it. And the car won't start. Ever have a morning like that? 

Chain reactions occur in chemistry, nuclear reactions, and unfortunately, vehicle accidents every day. In our everyday lives, however, we can enjoy much of what happens to us depending on our attitudes. Look at it this way: we are all interconnected and overlapping. Just as we are trying to get that car started, the new neighbor (we have not met yet) shows up with jumper cables. We introduce ourselves and begin talking. Now we find out our cat got out of the house while we were cleaning up her mess in the kitchen and the neighbor was trying to find the cat's owner as he discovered it in his yard. 

It Doesn't End There

God's Galaxy

We may have never noticed, but daily chain reactions happen all the time: "a number of events triggered by the same initial event." The world even began that way. In six days, God created one piece of the world at a time and each one affected the next. The day became night, waters were separated and sky and land appeared. All of this led to the creation of vegetation, stars, and creatures/animals. When everything was "good," God created two more perfect beings: "male and female" and named them Adam and Eve. 

This is a beautiful story but it doesn't end there. God also gave human beings "free will." And so, the first human beings chose to eat what they should have left alone. They wanted to do things their way. And because of that event, another chain reaction began and continues to this day. 

We have choices to make every single day of our lives. Will we say a kind word to someone to brighten their day or a sarcastic remark that will make their day worse? Can we drop what we are doing to help a stranger or will we remain in our selfishness? Can we give generously or hoard our possessions? All of these types of events will cause a good or unfortunate chain reaction. It's up to us just like Adam and Eve. 

"In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth" (Genesis 1:1 NLT).

"Then God looked over all he had made, and he saw that it was very good! And evening passed and morning came marking the sixth day" (Genesis 1:31 NLT).

He wisely rested on the seventh day. And we are stronly encouraged to do the same!   

Why Did God Make Snowflakes To Begin With?

Snowflakes and a Warm Drink

Great news: Spring is only 16 days away—or so says the calendar on March 20^th for the Northern Hemisphere. Some parts of the country, however, are still experiencing an over-abundance of winter! When will we see the thaw, we wonder? 

Blizzards, winds, and digging out from all that snow is not the best way to enjoy this time of year. It all looks beautiful, but only if we are inside and not having to drive in it. And, yet, being able to spend time at a ski resort speeding down a slope, ice skating, or snowboarding are all fun for many people. 

So, until Spring arrives in our yards, we could use that softly falling snowflake out our windows as a sort of life metaphor. Most people have heard that “no two snowflakes are the same.” Ever wonder why that is true? The very simple, basic answer is that water molecules in the air stick together to form unique crystals. And millions of them fall into our world all at once. If you want some fun checking this idea further, just click on this link: Snowflake Magic

Snowflakes vs. Rain

After reading all the scientific magic of snowflakes, let’s go a step further and ask, why did God (the Creator of all things) go to the trouble to make snowflakes to begin with? Wasn’t rain enough of a miracle? Well, maybe, just maybe, because he was giving us an easy way to observe that snow makes every object and situation in our lives beautiful.

That may be a stretch, but we can’t deny it certainly makes us slow down and gaze at the wonder and beauty of it all. Yes, there are days when the accumulation of snow makes life difficult when we need to drive somewhere. Or endless shoveling is required just to get out the front door. Or dressing the children in all their boots, mittens, and jackets to go to school is a major event. Life can be hard to deal with in any season.

Snow gives us a visible “reason” to see life in a different way. The rain wasn’t enough—God took rain and froze it into crystals so we would take note there are always options when we are looking for answers. Our real-life situations can often overwhelm us. Maybe all we need to do is change what we are doing. If one way doesn’t work, another probably will if we give it a chance.

Try This, Not That

Options are out there, but we need a desire and an open mind to find them. Ready to try something different?

Try this: take a risk and find a new job that’s satisfying

Not that: staying in a job we hate

Enjoying Life

Try this: retire early and enjoy life

Not that: working until we are burned out because everyone else does it

Try this: Downsize and simplify

Not that: Living among more and more clutter in a house that’s too big

Try this: Find out what God’s purpose for us is all about (hint: we all have a dream)

Not that: Sitting back and becoming discouraged and bitter

Try this: Be the best we can be no matter the direction we go

Not that: Showing up with a bad attitude and toxic, contagious thoughts

The Best is Yet to Come

When we put effort into understanding ourselves (who are we?) by understanding what God has purposely made us for (what is our gift?) and why we are in the situation we are in (ignoring options), then we will be headed in the right direction.

Part of this is developing our faith journey in knowing that God loves each of us just the way we are, right now, today. And just like the snowflakes he created, we are all unique and wonderfully made! Believe it!

“The rain and snow come down from the heavens and stay on the ground to water the earth. They cause the grain to grow, producing seed for the farmer and bread for the hungry” (Isaiah 55:10 NLT).