Pray & Live
Hello, Smiling Faces!In the midst of this unpredictable season, I hope each of you are doing great. So much is going on surrouding COVID-19, but we all must remain prayerful, first. Take the necessary precautions and educate yourself. Schools are closed, events/vacations are canceled and fear is growing rapidly, but take each day to support and encourage those around you. Let’s pray for the healthcare workers around the world.Doing this time, I am taking the opportunity to enjoy my family a little bit more. In-house quality time is important, while we all are being mindful. Maybe you have a project underway that you can focus more time on. Have you been pondering over starting a blog, researching a special project or adding a new business product? Get a jump on it and get to writing. I am also taking my own advice.I follow and read a lot of articles from individuals that inspire me. Allow me to share the below from Valorie Burton - life coach, author, motivational speaker and entrepreneur:“I want to reassure you that in times like these, it is normal to feel fear. Our stressors create thoughts, and those thoughts form our reactions. So if your reaction to what you’ve seen and heard about coronavirus have produced thoughts of danger, fear may be the natural response, meaning it’s important to pay attention to what you’re saying to yourself about what’s been going on. And again, while it is normal to feel fear, we are not to operate out of a spirit of fear.
So how do we manage our fears and mitigate the spread of them? I think these three things will help:
1) You have an internal locus of control, meaning there are some things you can control in order to take care of yourself, your loved ones, and do your part to keep them as healthy as possible. Ask yourself: What steps can I take to prioritize my health, the health of my family, and community?
2) There is also an external locus of control - these are things that are beyond your control. If your sole focus is on the external, you can feel hopeless and helpless. What you must focus on is what you can do. Ask yourself: What have I been anxious about that I cannot control?
3) Most importantly, it is important that what you can’t control, you trust God with. Go to Scripture and seek what God says about fear and about anxiety. Ask yourself: What worries do I need to surrender to God?
Philippians 4:6 tells us, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
It’s so simple, yet so profound. Control what you can, and trust God with what you can’t.
So take a breath and pray. Let God know what your concerns are, and then do what you can do. Accept that there will be changes for a while to how our world operates, and make a plan to adjust as best you can. You are resilient, and resilient people make a plan B.”
You Got This!
Always SMILE...
Sherill