Monday Measure

My "Monday Measure" for this week is:




Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you:
not as the world giveth, give I unto you.
Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.
(John 14:27)

I'm often told (mainly by my husband) that I'm a lot like my dad. You rarely see him stressed out, worried, or bothered by anything. He literally goes with the flow. Knowing my dad, I'm also aware that this is a trait of his because he stirs the pot in other ways to relieve his frustrations... such as posting controversial political topics on Facebook, then sitting back to watch everyone around him go crazy with their responses... which in turn provides him with a laugh and he forgets what was bothering him in the first place (*sigh*).

I like to see it differently. I like to see my lack of bouncing off walls and blowing things out of proportion as a way of keeping my sanity. My view is, whether I worry about something or not, that the "thing" will still be present... so do I ruin my day by dwelling on it, trying to conjure up my own solution that could wind up way off track doing more damage, yelling at everyone around me because my day has been ruined by a situation or circumstance... or do I stop and say wait a minute, I WILL NOT allow this to ruin the rest of my day. It's happened... my immediate behavior is not going to pay the amount due on a bill or current expense, change the weather, alter my child's attitude, bring Mike home off the road, stop the dog from barking non stop at the squirrel out the window, change the cost of gas, repair what is damaged, or cause items on a to do list to become invisible (among a wide array of other ways in which a day can be attacked).

However, I DO have the ability to pause in the circumstance, take a deep breath, and absorb the peace my Maker provides for me! When young, we're expected to react promptly to what mom or dad instructed us to do... whether it be stop arguing with a sibling, doing the dishes, taking out the trash, cleaning our room, or answer a question... I don't know about you, but a response better happen fast or consequences came. So, how much greater should we respond to what the Lord instructs us to do. He said "Let not your heart be troubled"... I say, yes Father. He knows what is best for us, He knows what is to come, He knows our every need... whether we flip out when the need appears or not, He is still aware of it, and WILL provide for that need... we just have to accept that and allow His peace to overcome the circumstance before we allow ourselves to have our fits to fall into first.

So this week, I've decided to focus more on my reactions. Although I tend to not over-react or stress over things in general, my attitude can never have too much adjustment that focusing on this verse before I react won't help even more.

Lord, help me this week to pause before I react or speak regardless of the situation. Help me to envision how YOU would react to a circumstance or what YOU would say as a response before I allow the fleshly self to respond first. If nothing else, tie my tongue and hold control over my physical being, chastising even the thought of any reaction that is unlike one that represents you. Help me to follow by your example, and allow the peace you provide to comfort me, refusing to allow my heart or mind be troubled over any worldly appearances within my life. Amen!

So what's YOUR Monday Measure?