Finding your Joy - a daily inspiration

[TAMF]

Good morning my "online" friends! I have been posting these little daily inspirations because so many of them deal with issues that we are all facing right now, and they help me, so I thought they might help some of you too.

January 14

SPREAD TOO THIN
Positive Thoughts

I’M OFTEN SPREAD too thin-not because of my workload, to-do-list, demands from my family, or volunteer work, but from sheer brain overload caused by the negative voices in my head.
We don’t have to be diagnosed with schizophrenia to know that we deal with a barrage of nasty voices that spread us too thin. Things we literally make up, conclusions we jump to, and fantasy “showdowns” we have to set the record straight. I know you know what I’m talking about: the articulate positioning, perfect timing, and final zinger you ‘share’ with that person who harmed you; the venting that happens over and over and over-but only in your head.
Spending time dwelling on hurts, wrongs, and misfortunes is a waste of time. How many hours each week do we squander, pondering how we’ve been wronged and how we should defend our honor? Consider the outcome if we took that same amount of time and did something useful with it. Like maybe read a book; call someone who makes us laugh; listen to upbeat music; or better yet-pray. Imagine the positive energy we would gain by putting a stop to our negative thinking.
When I fixate on something hurtful someone has said or done (or hasn’t said or hasn’t done), my spirit is drained. My enthusiasm, loveliness, and spunk are nowhere to be found. This lack of positive life force only hurts those who haven’t wronged me. How unfair is that?

Starting a quarrel is like opening a floodgate,
So stop before a dispute breaks out. (PROVERBS 17:14)

But when I purposefully replace my brooding thoughts with positive observations, I am joyful; I am at peace; and I can only imagine I am a lot more fun and engaging to be around. To purposefully transform my thoughts I have to first recognize that I am in a negative state of mind. Then, I take a few minutes to count just a few of my hundreds of blessings to move myself out of my pity-me party. No, it’s not always easy, and it typically requires me to be conscious of my thoughts and diligent in my actions. But the effort is worth it.
It’s time to choose the positive over the negative. Put a stop to those fantasy showdowns and replace them with a power walk, a good tune, or something that makes you giggle. Don’t waste another minute listening to those nasty voices. You’re spread too thin as it is.


January 15

SPREAD TOO THIN
The Disappearing Act

I KNEW I was spread too thin before my meltdown in the car. I had been fantasizing for months about taking a sabbatical because I knew in my heart that I was burned out. I knew I needed to spend time cocooning.
A few years before, I had learned about cocooning from my former pastor. I had adopted the process, leaving home every twelve months (for a period between a few days and a week) to read and study, rest, dream, and plan in order to hear God’s calling-and to be prepared to take action.
This time, because I was so burned out, I elected to take a monthlong recess from the office. While some might go to a spa or on a Caribbean vacation, I elected to stay home during this cocooning event to work on my three Rs: resting, renewal, and rededication. But I quickly realized I was rusty on all three! My first challenge: relearning to rest.
Resting. We’re not very good at this, are we? We get one hour at home, alone, and what do we do? Start busying ourselves in the name of productivity. Are we bored? Or could we actually fear time alone with our thoughts? Quiet time is a requirement to renewing one’s mind, body, and soul, but I found myself in the first two weeks of my “holiday” keeping the same pace I had when I was heading into the office. It finally dawned on me, about eight days into this intermission, that I would need to plan my rest as I plan anything else of importance to me.
So, a question for you: when was the last time you had eight continuous hours of shut-eye? When cocooning, I am one of the chosen few who gets a full night’s rest, because I plan it. Are you burned out too? I feel safe in prescribing rest for you. Easy to say, hard to do. Yet I learned during my month of cocooning that our lack of sleep is less about available sleeping hours and more about our unwillingness to make sleep a priority.
Once rested, it’s amazing how our rewired minds can process information much more clearly. And it’s not just sleep that refreshes us. While cocooning, I also learned to rest from

People–my social calendar was closed;
Problem solving-the focus was listening for God’s will for me, not trying to solve everyone else’s problems;
Spending-shopping sprees are not part of the cocooning process.

Those who live in the shelter of the Most High will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty. (PSALM 91:1)

Are you spread too thin? Before you disappear for good, consider a few days of cocooning. And if you’re a mommy with kiddos still bouncing about the house, just hide in the closet for fifteen minutes. A break is a break.