THE HANDS OF TIME

Throughout the years, we've wrestled with time. Over and over again, a great number of us have regretfully moaned, "If I could turn back the hands of time."

Stressing day after day over what didn't turn out like it was supposed to, and who didn't do as they'd promised to, will not change the past. While we're stressing with perils of the past, we're sadly being blinded to God's blessings in the here and now.

Thanks to a good friend, just recently, I was reminded of the godly wisdom King Solomon gives concerning the hands of time.


Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

To everything there is a season,
A time for every purpose under heaven:

A time to be born, And a time to die;

A time to plant, And a time to pluck what is planted;

A time to kill, And a time to heal;

A time to break down, And a time to build up;

A time to weep, And a time to laugh;

A time to mourn, And a time to dance;

A time to cast away stones, And a time to gather stones;

A time to embrace, And a time to refrain from embracing;

A time to gain, And a time to lose;

A time to keep, And a time to throw away;

A time to tear, And a time to sew;

A time to keep silence, And a time to speak;

A time to love, And a time to hate;

A time of war, And a time of Peace.


Whatever the time, whatever the season, thank God for the time, the season . . . and the reason.


Peace I leave with you . . .

WHAT HAPPENED?

The race is not to the swift or the battle to the strong, nor does food come to the wise or wealth to the brilliant or favor to the learned; but time and chance happen to them all. ~Ecclesiastes 9:11~

911 was one of the most stressful times in our history. People from all walks of life suffered tragedy and death. Millions cried out to the Lord as they struggled with sorrow and wondered "What happened?"

Maybe in the year of 2001, by the grace of God, we escaped that 911 tragedy. Nevertheless, we've witnessed other incidents that have caused us remarkable stress and left us wondering "What happend?"

Out of habit, we stress ourselves, questioning every source we can imagine. We want to know who or what brought about the terrible heartache, or pain, or sorrow, or injustice, or lack--And why?

The more we stress and search for answers, the more we end up right back where we started from, yet wondering "What happened?" As badly as we want them, answers don't come.

In Ecclesiastes 9:11, King Solomon shares an answer that pretty much addresses most of our devastating nightmares . . ."time and chance happen to them all."

Sure, there are exceptions. But for the most part, there are times in each of our lives where things just happen. Contary to popular belief, man does not have all the answers. The secret things belong to the Lord" (Deut. 29:29).

So stop stressing and start striving to do what 1 Thessalonians 5:18 says, "In everything give thanks."


Peace I leave with you . . .

THE MAIN THING

"Martha, Martha," the Lord answered, "you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed . . ."


Remember the time when Martha was stressing because she was so busy and had so much to do? Remember how she complained to the Lord that she was doing all the work while her sister Mary sat at the Lord's feet? (Luke 10:38-42)

Pay close attention to the Lord's reply, especially the part where He says, "But only one thing is needed."

He told Martha, plain and simple, with all the hustle and bustle and busy doing this and that, only one thing was necessary--exactly what her sister Mary was doing--sitting and spending time with Him.

Have you noticed how busy our lives have become? And how overloaded and how far behind we seem to be with so many important things. And how stressed we are as a result of all this?

Regardless of who is doing what for whom, according to the Lord, the main thing is that we embrace a one-on-one relationship with Him. That we spend unselfish and uncluttered and unhurried time in His presence.

Slow down. . .Sit down. . .Stress less. Running around in circles all the time, as Mama used to say "Like a chicken with its head cut off," will sooner or later cause even the strongest of us to cave in to stress.

If God said it, we who are wise will believe it. And make every effort to do it.


Peace I leave with you . . .

Here's to Happiness!

By our attitudes and actions, we Americans display a burning desire for a thing called "happiness."

Think about it. All the world wants to be happy. People from far and near are constantly seeking the secret to happiness.

Perhaps we've read this passage many times before, but for Happiness' sake, let's do it again . . . this time, with a smile.

Happy is the man who finds wisdom,
And the man who gains understanding;

For her {wisdom} proceeds are better
than the profits of silver,
And her gain than fine gold.

She is more precious than rubies,
And all the things you may
desire cannot compare with her.

Length of days is in her right hand,
In her left hand riches and honor.

Her ways are ways of pleasantness,
And all her paths are peace.

She is a tree of life to those who take hold of her,
And happy are all who retain her. (Proverb 3:13-18)

In searching for true happiness,
be mindful to look to God.


Peace I leave with you . . .

WHO'S TO BLAME?

Mark the blameless man, and observe the upright;
For the future of that man is peace. (Psalm 37:37)

When reading our Bibles in the 16th chapter of Genesis, we witness Abram (Abraham) and Sarai (Sara) in the middle of a stressful situation.

Since she couldn't bear children, Sarai told Abram to take her maid and have children by her. So Abram slept with Hagar, the maid, and she conceived his child.

After Hagar got pregnant, she despised Sarai. And Sarai blamed Abram. And Abram dumped it all off on Sarai and told her to do whatever she pleased. When Sarai mistreated the pregnant maid, Hagar ran away.

Now, for all of that stress, who's to blame? In Abraham and Sara's situation, as in so many of our own, what difference will pointing a finger at who's to blame make? What will it possibly change?

Playing the blame game can stress us to the max and cause our lives to be a total mess. Once we decide to redirect those energies and make certain that we are "not to blame," God's Word assures us peace.

There's much contentment to be gained from not being the blame.


Peace I leave with you . . .

H2O PLEASE

H2O, better known as water, is the most

overlooked stress suppressor available to us.

Water makes up more than two-thirds of our body weight. Every cell and organ in our bodies requires water to function properly. That's why it's important to drink plenty of water--even if we don't "like" it.

Many of us are walking around dehydrated and don't know it. Thirst signals dehydration. So by the time we become thirsty, our bodies are already dehydrated. Hello?

Dehydration is a big contributor to stress. When the body dehydrates, it induces anxiety and nervousness. Studies show that dehydration is one of the major causes for headaches. And, get this, fatigue is a side effect.

Dehydration can increase toxins in our bloodstreams and cause irritability and unnecessary stress. Drinking water throughout the day can flush those toxins out of our bodies.

Drinking eight glasses of good, clean water a day can also aid in the prevention and cure of many types of ailments that affect our bodies--such as headaches, depression, PMS, menopause, arthritis, back ache, constipation, diabetes, high blood pressure and cholesterol.

Since water has no calories and contains no cholesterol or fat, it can help us lose excess weight, or maintain our weight. Drinking water and staying fully hydrated can increase our metabolic rate.

The best indicator that we are drinking enough water is from our bathroom trips. If urine comes out pale yellow to clear, we're okay. But a dark yellow color is a sign our body is dehydrated and needs water.

And please, make it a priority to drink safe water. Never take for granted that clean water flows from the faucet. Chlorine is added to most drinking water supplies. And contaminated water can indeed cause health problems.

Consuming adequate amounts of water each day can help to maintain good health and a strong immune system. Don't be foolish . . . Drink it!


Peace I leave with you . . .

PERFECT PEACE

No Justice . . . No Peace; No Justice . . . No Peace

How many times have we heard those flaming words? And how many times have we stood in agreement and voiced a booming, "Yeah?"

Even now, when being subjected to certain situations in life, we can still hear those words rumbling in our ears, right? Especially when we allow ourselves to focus too intently on issues we consider injustice.

Justice is, first and foremost, based upon perception. Inasmuch as "the quality of fairness" is a studious definition, it is not the pinnacle of justice. How we perceive things is how we arrive at our point of justice. Plain and simple, focus is key.

The story is often related of a couple in bed. When first married, the husband lovingly invited the wife to "put your little tootsies over here next to mine and keep them warm." A few years later, when their marital bliss was long gone, the husband angrily protested, "Keep your cold feet on your side of the bed and off of mine!" (Get the picture?)

One of the crucial attributes associated with stress is our focus. The way we look at issues, undoubtedly, determines the way we feel about them. Negative focus foretells negative actions, which naturally ignites our stresses and disrupts our peace.

True peace is readily available in the the Lord. God's Word assures us that "Thou {God} will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee . . . (Isaiah 26:3 KJV)"

Granted, that's easier said than done, considering the many adversities we face. But, despite the difficulty, imagine all we're likely to gain.

If determined to put our stress in check, we must more so determine to seek the grace of God and keep our focus on Him.

Peace I leave with you . . .