How to Live in Peace and Harmony Every Day of the Year

Get to the Answer

Thankfully, we’ve been given the intelligence to know and decide how to act in any situation. In other words, we inherently know right from wrong. But is it easy to make good decisions? Absolutely not! We know this by how long it took us to change our own lives for the better. But we finally did it when we had the best information.

One of the uncontrolled parts of our previously married life is that some of us, or we could say most of us, were “commanded” daily by our significant other to do some things we knew were not right at the time. But because we were pushed emotionally and, sometimes, physically until we complied, we resisted and didn’t act on our own decision. A very uncomfortable position, indeed.   

Making Informed Decisions

Now that we are on our own, we can strive to live in peace and harmony with others without giving up our common sense and moral values. Sometimes it's very difficult to lean in that direction, especially when certain questionable activities make us cringe and even doubt our beliefs because of the popularity of it all. This week on Thursday, October 31st is one of those misunderstood occasions that can tend to rub us the wrong way. Not everyone believes or celebrates Halloween. We want to do what we know is right for us, but how do we do that?

First, let’s remember we are each free to determine how we should act and why. There is absolutely no judgment here, only some truths we may have never considered. Celebrating Halloween or not is our decision alone, but to do that, we need knowledge of the subject: some pertinent information and historical facts to consider that will help us make an informed decision along the way. Amazingly, God has a lot to say about this subject. So, it is important for us to settle now how we want to reflect our Christian lives to others.

Second, we would be correct in saying the Bible does not mention the actual word Halloween. And perhaps for some people, there is nothing evil about children’s “happy and cute” costumes in general. But we should at least ask, is Halloween anti-Christian? When talking about the “darker” aspects of this October day, absolutely! So, we must figure out exactly how we feel about this “celebration” and how we want to handle it.   

Do No Harm  

The Bible: God's Truth to Us

God, however, didn’t leave us to figure it all out by ourselves. He’s good that way. He has our backs! God has definite instructions for us about certain questionable practices, no matter what day it is! Here are some eye-opening facts we previously may not have even thought much about:

Considered innocent by some people, the following activities are extremely harmful to us according to God’s Word (look up the corresponding verses to discover why):

·                     witchcraft and fortune-telling (Lev 19:26)

·                     occult (Acts 8:9-24)

·                     sorcery (Acts 13:6-11)

·                     magic (Acts 19:19)

·                     mediums and necromancers (Lev 19:31, 20:6)

·                     divination, casting spells, seances, channeling (Deut 18:9-12)

As if those customs were not enough, the Bible speaks in general about unexplored subjects such as:

·                     no such thing as ghosts (of deceased persons) (2 Cor 11:14-15)

·                     there are, however, good angels (Isa 6:2-6)

·                     there are also evil demons (Lk 8:2)

In addition to the above, Satan (our enemy) and his many demons are real! And they can and will deceive and convince us it’s okay to participate in activities such as psychics, seances, tarot cards, Ouija boards, crystal balls, and horoscopes to mislead, corrupt, and destroy us! This shows the importance of reading the Bible daily, otherwise, how will we ever know the truth?  

Amazing Truth

“Take no part in the worthless deeds of evil and darkness; instead, expose them” (Ephesians 5:11 NLT).

“Cultivate your own relationship with God, but don’t impose it on others. You’re fortunate if your behavior and your belief are coherent. But if you’re not sure, if you notice that you are acting in ways inconsistent with what you believe--some days trying to impose your opinions on others, other days just trying to please them--then you know that you’re out of line. If the way you live isn’t consistent with what you believe, then it’s wrong” (Romans: 14:22-23 MSG).

Are Your Windows Open?

Believe it or not, some amazing solar inventions began production as far back as 1839 by a French physicist. And Albert Einstein in 1922, and Bell Labs in 1954 continued more modern uses for solar lamps/lights/lanterns. They are not a 21st Century invention by any means as some may think! Today, however, LED lamps, solar panels, and batteries compose the lighting systems we are now familiar with seeing in our streets, homes, and gardens.

Sunlight actually changes the negative into positive energy. The electrons then transfer electricity through wires in the cells to a battery for storage. Photoreceptors detect darkness and turn on the light throughout the night! Wow! Solar lamps can be very useful in many situations, including even charging our cell phones that we can't seem to do without. Crazy to understand and imagine all this amazing activity, especially if we are not scientifically inclined!

Opening the Windows

The point here is that, of course, modern humans cannot survive very well without electric light, except perhaps in daylight hours. What we would do without light for long in this day and age could be quite frustrating. We are thinking now of the unfortunate pattern of annual hurricanes in the Gulf Coast and the Caribbean leaving some residents without power for months!

Without basic daily necessities, especially during natural disasters, emotional destruction, and personal devastation, we must depend on our neighbors and those organizations/non-profits prepared to help. This is how they are using their “light” to dispel our “darkness” that swallows up hope. After going through what we as single-again women have experienced, it is easy to just crawl into a corner and ignore how to make our lives better than they have ever been.

Once we are healthier and on our way to figuring things out, we can readily see how we can use our own “light” to help others. We recognize the problem when we see other women going through what we did. We know that living in secluded “darkness” is not even an option, but instead is a sickness that spreads to every part of our body.

We can explore how to open our eyes and further grow into the strong women we are deep down inside. How can we positively use our “light” and create joy?

• Reach out to other single women. Invite them for coffee or a lunch date. Don't forget the hug!
• Practice simply listening to her story.
• Seek common interests and share fun things: movies, hobbies, cooking, antiquing, etc
• Volunteer together at a women’s shelter.
• Teach her a skill she wants to learn and vice versa.

These are just suggestions to get started. Be sure to keep adding to the list; try to break the Guinness Book of World Records for Kindness. Go for it!

Better Than Einstein

The Creator of all Light knew we wouldn’t make it in the dark for long. On the very first day, God said, “Let there be light” and there was light. . .And there was evening and there was morning. . .

Because God is all-knowing, He also knew we needed the evening to rest. But not for too long. He gave us gifts and talents to use to help each other and we can’t do that if we spend all our hours in the “dark.”

“Your eye is like a lamp that provides light for your body. When your eye is healthy, your whole body is filled with light” Matthew 6:22 NLT.

“Your eyes are windows into your body. If you open your eyes wide in wonder and belief, your body fills up with light. If you live squinty-eyed in greed and distrust, your body is a dank cellar. If you pull the blinds on your windows, what a dark life you will have!” Matthew 6:22-23 MSG.

Can You See in The Dark?

Relatively speaking, the electric light bulb is fairly new. It was invented the same year as the espresso machine! I’ll take a double-shot vanilla latte with whipped cream, please. Both were invented only 138 years ago--two short generations. Our great-grandmothers may still be alive to tell us that before that, people mainly used candles, oil lamps, and fire for light. However, all of these means of producing light have limits: they all burn out eventually, even the light bulb.

Children normally hate being in the dark, but sometimes adults do as well. Electrical storms can be unnerving when all the lights go out at once as we scramble for the flashlight (invented, by the way, 21 years after the electric light bulb). Many of us wake up each morning and want to open all the windows and blinds. We bask on sunny days. We adore chandeliers and take pleasure in candlelight. And as long as there are lots of stars, we marvel at the night sky.

Big Differences

Unless we work at night and sleep during the day, most of us crave light! For many women, it’s our most productive time, although waking hours vary greatly. Some are up at the “crack of dawn” and some of us prefer to sleep-in, if at all possible. Eventually, we each find our best time to get things done, establishing a routine and a pattern.

Our routines most likely have changed since living alone; usually for the better. We don’t have to check-in or check-out with someone else. We make our own schedules and set our own clocks. We cook, or not, whenever we feel like it. There are many advantages to living alone.

Notice the word above is “alone,” not “lonely.” There is a big difference. One is positive, one negative. Just like our patterns and routines, we have to learn to recognize when one is working and one is not. When one is nurturing us and when one is getting us down. We can be prepared with steps to avoid the negative. Having friends to do things with and enjoy, having a list of activities that brighten our day, and volunteering in a worthy organization are just a few ways to bring happiness and joy to our lives. To bring the “light” into the dark corners.

The Longest One of All

Psalm 119 is the longest Chapter, as well as the longest Psalm in the Bible. With 176 verses, it describes Who God is, what He expects of us, and it shows us how we can praise Him. And to be sure, God’s light never burns out! He promises to always be a light for us to see in the dark corners of our single-again lives. He can be trusted to guide us through any negative thoughts. Best of all, He keeps His promises because He is the same yesterday, today and always.

Your word is a lamp to guide my feet and a light for my path. Ps 119:105