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Grace and Peace

How often do we think about the words “grace” and “peace?” The apostle Paul opened the many letters he penned in Scripture with the greeting of “grace and peace.” If you think about it, the words are always in that order: grace first, then peace. Interesting to think about.

A commentary I read said that in order to experience God’s peace, we need to accept His grace. I had never really thought about that, but it makes sense. How often do we beat ourselves up over past failures or mistakes, therefore, not accepting the grace and forgiveness of God? If we don’t accept forgiveness, then we won’t experiencing the peace that only comes from God through grace. Paul knew what he was saying when he wrote his greeting.

As we draw closer to the end of January and head into the second month of this new year, with all of its unknowns, make sure to give yourself grace. Ask God for forgiveness of anything weighing you down, then step boldly into today. The peace of God is like no other. Embrace it. Embrace the love of Christ and find His peace.

Have a great day, walking in His love – with grace and peace.

Perspective, Momentum, and a Dry Erase Board

My recent blog posts have talked about Overcoming Self-doubt and Breaking the Negativity Cycle. Doing these things lead to a fresh start. It’s wiping the slate clean and beginning again with a new attitude and motivation to press on. That sounds great in theory, but it isn’t easy to accomplish. I relate to this in an unusual way: by looking at the large white dry erase board I have in my office.

Last year, when I revamped this blog, that white board was filled with blog post summaries, and ideas for the short videos I did at the time. I was having a blast and accomplishing so much with this renewed commitment to TalkingAmongFriends.com.

However, in August 2020, a family emergency hit that required my time and attention, and I quit posting on my blog. Then I posted sporadically, but had another dry spell in late spring and early summer of this year. It was frustrating because something I had been so excited about got pushed to the side.

Earlier this summer, the time came for me to refocus on this blog so I opened up the cabinet where my dry erase board is. On that board, there were all of last year’s ideas and accomplishments. It was a tangible symbol of my work. Until I stopped writing. Now, it almost seemed like my board was mocking me.

As I focus on writing again, I see that there are two ways of looking at that white board. One way would be the negative way, where the board showed my progress but also where it all stopped, and where I floundered for the rest of the year. You know, this is the board that mocks me.

However, in light of my recent blog posts, I need to look at that white board in a positive way: as in, “Look at all I accomplished last year!” I did so much. It should be cause for celebration not negativity!

It’s all about perspective. It’s either negativity for the year I didn’t complete, or it’s fighting the negativity cycle and self-doubt, and looking at the positive and the accomplishments.

I know myself well enough to know that the battle between discouragement and confidence will continue. However, by paying attention to how I view things, I truly want to let hope win, not fear, and not discouragement. I’m really good at beating up on myself about my lack of discipline, but in truth, last year’s white board proves that wrong. I did have the discipline. I had the desire and I was doing it! By looking at the positives, I know I can do it now.

It’s time to fill up the white board again, using all the different colored markers I can find!

How about you? How do you get back on track when you lose momentum? How would a change in perspective help? I’d love to hear from you.

Let’s encourage one another.

Break the Cycle of Negativity

I love attending writer’s conferences. It’s wonderful to be around others who also hear voices in their heads, ha!

You leave the conference inspired, ready-to-go, happy to have met other writers. You’re all fired up to write, then you come home and BAM – reality hits! The cursor relentlessly blinks on that blank page. Your family needs your attention, the laundry needs to be done, and oh, you’ve received a rough critique of your work and there’s no way you’re ever going to be published. You might as well give up!

See how easy it is to get into a negative cycle?

On my last blog, I talked about breaking the cycle of negativity and self-doubt, and about putting God first in all I do, so I could walk with confidence and honor Him with my life and with my calling.

What do you do next, when negativity strikes? Conventional wisdom says, you get up the next day, dust yourself off, and start again. Really? I’m tired of starting again and again, and getting nowhere. I’m not strong enough for this. No way! Maybe I should just make popcorn and binge watch something on Netflix.

Oops! There I go again….getting caught up in the cycle of negativity and self-doubt. See how it creeps in so easily?

It’s time to break the cycle. Yes, it’s hard. It’s very hard. I’m struggling with it now. But this is where you have to pay attention and be aware of when the negativity cycle pays a visit.

As mentioned in my previous post, be prayerful. Spend time with God. Talk to a friend. Let your frustrations out, then remember to return the favor when your friend needs you!

We need to encourage one another. Build each other up instead of tearing each other down.

Yeah, this all sounds so cliche. And here comes the frustration once again.

But guess what? Most cliches are true.

We have to get up each morning and try again. We have to celebrate the small victories. We need to lean on friends once in a while (something I’m terrible at doing).

Sometimes, we need to take a break. Only if we make sure it’s a refreshing break, not an “I quit” break.

Finally, always, always, put God first. You can yell at him, you can cry and shake your fist. Then be thankful. Come to him with praise and gratitude, and pick yourself up, walk with confidence and try again.

Pretty soon, as the days pile up behind you, and you’ve found the courage to pick yourself up again and again, you’ll see progress. There will be more good days than not.

I’m hoping and praying through Christ’s strength that this is true, and that cycles of self-doubt will lessen the more I take action and move forward. This is nothing new, but apparently, I need the reminder.

You really do have to put one foot in front of the other. You’ll need to be intentional, purposeful and disciplined. But you won’t be alone as you take these steps, even small ones.

Believe me, I’m taking baby steps as well. I have a goal of where I want to be in a year. And I certainly don’t want to be where I was a few weeks ago — okay, even yesterday.

Psalm 40:2 (NLT) is good to remember: “He lifted me out of the pit of despair, out of the mud and the mire. He set my feet on solid ground and steadied me as I walked along.”

So, walk on my friends. We can do it, one step at a time.

Stay strong. Keep going. You’re not alone.

Please share your tips on how you keep going when you face obstacles or when you’re discouraged.

Let’s encourage one another.

Planning Interrupted

It’s been a while since I’ve posted. My life was interrupted in a major way last month, and I’m only now returning to some semblance of normal. However, “normalcy” may be a fluid concept between now and the end of the year, if not longer. But for the moment, I will enjoy being home and resuming my routine.

I’ll write more about recent life events soon. I wished I had written blog posts in advance, and had them scheduled and ready to go, so there would have been no interruption in the posts, even when there was interruption in my life. However, I didn’t plan ahead very well.

Sometimes it’s good to plan ahead, to try to be prepared for whatever comes your way. But there are times when things happen so unexpectedly, that you can’t prepare for them. Events can knock you off your feet. One thing I can tell you about recent events is that I now truly understand the concept of “one day at a time.” I couldn’t begin to plan more than a day ahead.

It’s interesting to live in only the present. Sometimes, I think we’re so caught up in planning for the future, reaching our goals, or simply planning for the weekend, that we forget to focus on today. Despite the circumstances, it was refreshing to focus on today only.

Now I’m beginning again. Beginning this blog, beginning my routine, returning to my life. Maybe with the lesson learned to not get too far ahead of myself and forget today.

How about you? Have you been caught up in future planning that you forget to focus on today? I’d love to hear your thoughts.