The peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. – Philippians 4:7
I am traveling with my youngest daughter’s soccer team to an out of state tournament. Already, the airports are filled with Thanksgiving travelers. My natural inclination is to get to the airport “just in time,” so I’m glad that I heeded my husband’s advice to allow for even more time than usual to park, go through security, and get to the gate. It’s brought me peace instead of panic. (Yes, dear. You were right.)
While reading Joyce Meyer’s devotional, The Power of Being Thankful she also gives several important suggestions that will help us this Thanksgiving. Especially if you’re going to be spending time with family you don’t see that often might not necessarily get along with so well. Don’t feel bad, almost every family has at least one person drives the others crazy. How you deal with “crazy” will determine whether you keep your peace or lose it this Thanksgiving week.
Here’s her advice. I added an “Action Step” afterwards to help you put it into practice.
1. Develop and maintain peace with God and peace with yourself. Then and only then will you begin to develop a mind-set that allows you to live in peace with others.
Action – First thing in the morning, before you begin to tackle all the Thanksgiving tasks, spend ten minutes alone with God. Thank Him for all that is good in your life then invite Him into your day. Ask God to guard your heart and mind and fill you with His supernatural peace.
2. Don’t expect people to be perfect, because they aren’t. This is an unrealistic expectation that will damage your relationships.
Action – Pray for the people you are going to be spending time with that day. Pray for God’s blessings to shower those people with His goodness, mercy, and love. (It’s hard to stay angry at people you’re praying for.)
3. Don’t expect everyone to be like you, because they aren’t. Discovering that we are all uniquely different solves many relationship conflicts.
Action – Thank everyone for their part they are playing in this holiday celebration. A heart of gratitude crowds out bitterness, criticism, and anger.
4. Be an encourager, not a discourager. Everyone loves to be with people who celebrate and notice strengths and choose to ignore weaknesses.
Action – Decide ahead of time, while you’re alone with God, to use only uplifting and encouraging words. Ask God to stop you in your tracks if you are about to speak critically or judgmentally. Remember the power of Jesus is in you to control your tongue. Tap into His awesome power and talk like Him today.
Lastly, let your 3 o’clock Wake Up Call be a much needed reminder during this busy week to stop, look up to God, give Him thanks, and invite Him into your heart, mind, thoughts, and actions. Then, God’s peace, which transcends all understanding, will guard your heart and mind. Pursue peace and allow God’s power to flow out of you as you love on all your family… even the crazy ones.
The Power of Giving God Thanks Will Ignite Your Faith and Change Your World!
Thank You for Being a part of the 3 O’Clock Wake Up Movement
No comments:
Post a Comment
What do you think? Have a comment or a story? Share them here. We love to hear from you!