STICKS AND STONES

"Pleasant words are as an honeycomb, sweet to the soul, and health to the bones."
~ Proverbs 16:24 ~

Sticks and stones might break my bones, but words will never hurt me . . .

Ever mumbled these words before?

For years, we’ve said—or heard—them, and even though we may have meant every single word when we breathed them, we barely believed them.

Truth is, words do hurt us. Words are extremely powerful, and some of them can hit us harder than any stick and heavier than any stone.

Sadly enough, there are people who dish out huge spoonfuls of pure-de-hateful words. And it matters not what we openly profess, words will upset us. And hurt us. And stress us.

Surely you remember when . . .

So, how do we bounce back when knocked down by other’s unkind words? How do we calm down, when someone’s offensive words have riled us up? What is the secret to less stress from hurtful words?

Here’s one of the most important things to do: Remember.
Remember who we are.
Remember what we stand for.
Remember how we wish to perceive peoples’ words.
Remember which words to treasure and which ones to trash.
Remember to never squabble over words.

Peace I leave with you . . .

CHANGE

"In Thee, O Lord, do I put my trust; . . ." ~ Psalm 31:1 ~

On last Sunday, we witnessed an official time change. Even though we make the same change this time every year, the transition did not occur without considerable grumbling and complaining.

Here again, we’re reminded of the fact, the more things change—the more they stay the same.

What is it about "change" that causes us to be so resistant? Why do far too many continuously fret and complain over the least amount of change? And dare we mention the pandemonium of massive change?

Why do we wrestle so severely with things we cannot change? Surely we’re aware how damaging agitated attitudes and foul moods can be to our well being. Irritations and aggravations are enemies of the worst kind. They wipe out the peace we possess and keep us super-stressed.

These two culprits (and their kind) don't harbor an ounce of prejudice—they couldn’t care less whose mind they mess with or whose contentment they steal or whose life they complicate.

So what’s the top recommended remedy for successful change? "A smile." Yes, a heartfult smile that resonates from the inside out; A strong hope in the goodness and grace of One Who sees, knows, and controls all things.

Whether it’s a change of direction, a change of scenery, a change of mind, change of heart, a change of jobs, a change of address, a change of hairstyles, or even a change of dirty diapers, let’s streamline our stresses and embrace our challenges with a genuine smile.


Peace I leave with you . . .

LET US PRAY

"Pray without ceasing." ~ 1Thessalonians 5:17 ~

At the brink of another presidential election, as we wait and anticipate, let’s be diligent in praying for our candidates and for our country.

In unison, let us pray:

Our Father which art in heaven,
Hallowed be thy name,
Thy kingdom come.
Thy will be done in earth,
As it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts,
as we forgive our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation,
But deliver us from evil:
For thine is the kingdom,
And the power,
And the glory,
For ever. Amen.

IF ONLY

" . . . Oh, that I had the wings of a dove! For then I would fly away, and be at rest." ~ Psalm 55:6 ~


Whether we choose to admit it or not, we’ve all been victims to the world-wide cry of "if only."

If only this could have been . . . if only that would have been; If only he would do . . . if only she wouldn’t do; If only they were . . . if only they weren’t; If only we had this, that, or the other . . .

In a time of great distress, even King David mourned an "If only." In Psalm 55:6 David shares the reason for his if-only cry: So he could "be at rest."

At one time or another, we’ve all been there. Whether individually or collectively, whether in audible words or silent thoughts, we’ve all wished for something or someone to be or not to be. And the bad part about it all is that we allow such situations to steal our peace of mind.

If there is one thing that stress-survivors absolutely cannot afford to do, it is to be passive. We’re totally defeating our purpose when we stand idly and unconcerned in areas that dictate our well being.

Regardless of how large or small the issue may seem, we must safeguard our surroundings. We must be bold—and confident. And we must stand firm on issues that warrant our attentiveness.

No ma’am . . . No sir, no more fretting for us. For we realize we’re fighting a stressful enemy. And we refuse to willfully roll over and surrender our peace, simply because we can’t handle this thing called "stress."

Peace I leave with you . . .

TIT FOR TAT

"Mark the perfect man, and behold the upright: for the end of that man is peace . . ." Psalm 37:37

Our society is bent on swapping evil for evil, blow for blow, an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth. The bottom line according to the world’s way is, "If you hurt me, I’ll hurt you back."

Strangely enough, a great many people purposely live like this. But one of the saddest things about this type of living is that it never ceases to bring about dissension. For all involved, retaliating with a tit-for-tat attitude is the wrong way to go.

Contrary to much doubt and unbelief, there are significant rewards for doing things the right way—God’s way. God’s Word goes as far as to guarantee peace when we walk upright.

If, as Psalm 37:37 suggests, we observe those who strive for righteousness as set forth by God, it’s evident how the peace of God surrounds their lives.

On the other hand, when we spend time in the presence of people who dwell with that gotta-get-you-back mentality, we’ll certainly see lots of chaos.

Be mindful that verse 37 says to "mark the perfect man . . ." Now that's not the "perpetrating" man. There’s a difference in those who talk righteously and those who indeed walk righteously.

While on this mission to eliminate as much stress as possible, we consider peace as our number one priority. And if that peace is found in the trenches of God’s righteousness, then that’s where we stress-survivors must abide.

Peace I leave with you . . .

HOPSCOTCH

"The Lord shall preserve your going out and your coming in from this time forth, and even forevermore." ~ Psalm 121:8 ~


Remember back in the day when we played that old game called Hopscotch? Oh what fun we had! We must've played that game a thousand times.

First, we used a pointed stick to draw the hopscotch diagram in the dirt: One square box, then two side-by-side; Another square box, another two side-by-side; We repeated that a third time, then added one last box to complete it.

Next, we found a marker—usually a piece of broken glass or a bottle top—and tossed it from box to box, (in sequence, of course) while hopping back and forth with one foot in the single boxes and two feet in the double boxes. If we tossed our marker outside the line or accidentally hopped a foot outside it, we’d loose a turn and have to wait for our time to start over.

While hopscotch was mostly played by energetic young folk, it required a great deal of strategy and skill. And for every ounce of fun we enjoyed, there were times when we became equally frustrated.

Come to think of it, we’re still caught up in that hopscotch shuffle today. Whether we realize it or not, each of our lives demands some sort of strategy and skill to stay afloat. And indeed, fun and frustration continue to swarm around us.

One unforgettable fact of the hopscotch from yesteryear is that no matter how frustrating the game became—or we became—we kept on playing.

Isn’t that so much like our lives today? In order to "play the game" of life, we hop back and forth with our various strategies and skills. We’re sometimes successful . . . and sometimes not. We fall down . . . but we get up.

True, we don’t always hit the mark. And, yes, our feet still get tangled up now and then. We suffer losses. Starting over is often necessary. But regardless of how stressed or how upset we become, we must keep on keeping on. For we've discovered, back in those youthful years, that there are times in life when we don’t always win.

Whether engaged in a fun game of hopscotch or a frustrating game of having-to-cope-with-life, keep hopping.


Peace I leave with you . . .

UNDER THE CIRCUMSTANCES

"These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world." ~ John 16.33 ~


Ever feel like the troubles of the world are piling up on you? Like you’re about to suffocate underneath the pressures of so many problems?

What do we do when we feel like everything from everybody and everywhere continues to press us down? Who do we call? Who do we turn to?

We call on Jesus. We turn to Him and believe in His words. And, come what may, we cling to our faith in Him.

In John 16:33, Jesus says in Him we can have peace. That’s good news—especially when struggling day after day with one circumstance after the other.

If we are to survive the stresses of being bogged down with burdens, then we need a savior. We need Jesus!

Life is hard. And, at times, it gets even harder. Jesus is the one-and-only Savior, and He can lift us up from under any circumstances. He has the power to deliver us from the wiles of this world.

Jesus warned us that in this world we'd have problems, "But be of good cheer." He said He’s overcome the world. And if we’re connected as closely to Jesus as we’d like to believe, then we, too, can and will overcome.

Whenever we discover that we’re drowning in a sea of troubles, Jesus can fix it. To reiterate the melodious words of the late gospel singer Frank Williams, "If Jesus can’t fix it, nobody can."

No matter what the case may be, Jesus can deliver us from under any circumstance.


Peace I leave with you . . .