Bah HummmmmmMerry Christmas!

-
Driving down the road today it was as if everyone decided to lose their minds at the same moment.  People are changing lanes erratically, someone is slowing down suddenly, I have to slam on the brakes, and I think to myself, "Grrr, holiday traffic!"  I could feel the anger building up within me.

Then as suddenly as this all happened, I changed my tune.  With as much merriment as I could honestly muster, I started saying "Merry Christmas" to everyone who was cutting me off in traffic.  I was actually quite humorous after five or six cars.  But my mood completely changed.

Proverbs 15:1 A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.

I think I blogged on this recently, but I would like to approach this from a different angle.  

A soft or kind word to yourself will turn away your anger.  

The field in psychology known as cognitive therapy, emphasizes that negative thought patterns can have a profound effect on our physical and mental well-being. How we perceive a situation, or even our day-to-day life, can contribute to higher stress levels and ultimately contribute to anxiety and depression.

"The average person has approximately 40,000 to 60,000 thoughts per day," says Mirgain. "Obviously we're not aware of every single thought. But, research suggests that many of the thoughts we think are negative, and the majority of them are repetitive."
https://www.uwhealth.org/news/can-what-you-think-affect-how-you-feel/41007

". . . many of the thoughts we think are negative, and the majority of them are repetitive."  Wow!  How much of what we think is actually not helpful?  Taking a few moments to speak a soft word to ourselves can improve our mood, up our productivity and enhance our relationships in a positive way.  

So what are you saying to yourself right now? 

PRAY:  Dear Jesus, I want to say positive, good words of faith into my life and the life of others today.  AMEN  

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

We Went For A Walk

-
Image
Last Thursday, after realizing I forgot my wedding anniversary, I took my wife out for a walk that night.   It wasn’t just any walk, it is her favorite one.   Downtown, along the river, plus a couple of slices of our favorite pizza.   We talked about life after Covid, our daughter, marriage, and people we know and love.   It has been moments like these when I realize her resolve to be who God created her to be.   Moms need to know that.  I am saddened by our culture's ranting against mothers.  Today we hear how motherhood is a burden that you can take or leave.  Motherhood has never been a burden to Betty.  N-E-V-E-R  While it hasn’t been easy, the truth is, it has never nor will ever be easy for anyone.   Surveys in 2022 noted that moms feel overwhelmed. shorturl.at/auzH3   Covid, coupled with inflation and job instability is pouring gasoline on the fire.   What can you do? (Moms or Dads)  Prioritize and use the word “NO”.  Once you have determined that motherhoo
Read more

What A Day!

-
Image
Today is Mothers Day.  On this day:  More people purchase fresh flowers and plants for Mother's Day than for any other holiday except Christmas/Hanukkah. In 2019, the National Retail Federation (NRF) estimates that US consumers will spend $25 billion celebrating Mother's Day. Shoppers will spend an average of $196.00 on Mom. According to the Insure.com 2018 Mother's Day Index, the various tasks moms perform at home would be worth $68,875 (up from $67,619 in 2017) a year in the professional world. https://www.cnn.com/2013/09/06/us/mothers-day-fast-facts/index.html Motherhood is God's idea, and He had a great idea!  He created Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden and said in Genesis 1:28, "... And God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply... "   They had kids, their kids had kids, and the rest is history.  But where did Eve learn how to be a mom?  She didn't have one, remember?   I can only surmise, but I think these are good
Read more

Parenting Simplified (Well I tried to.)

-
Image
Betty doesn’t like me blogging about her too much. So let me go with one more for now and let you see a bit of her heart.  She doesn’t like the world any better now than when she gave birth to Anneka. (Neither do I.)   If you think that’s a strange thing to say, you’re right. But let me explain myself.  The idea that a child will make your world a better place isn’t accurate. Stop shouting at the screen. Just keep reading.   Before we got pregnant, both of us had enough wisdom to understand what we were doing, in as much as we knew that this would change our lives.  Would it be for the better? That was the plan.  Would it enrich our lives? We hoped so.   But to think that a child would turn our world into a magical place of perfection and joy was never a thought.   If anything, the world worked against us from day one. (Still is.) There were challenges of all kinds and new hurdles to jump. Just about the time you thought you were out of the woods, BAM, here we go again.   Betty was and
Read more