I\u2019ve decided to throw a party–a pity party. You\u2019re welcome to attend\u2014but you\u2019ll need to wear a mask and practice social distancing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hope that made you smile! Because there isn\u2019t much to smile about these days. I\u2019m so glad our joy doesn\u2019t depend on circumstances but on our amazing Lord. Whatever happens, we know our lives are in God\u2019s hands and we needn\u2019t live in fear.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Across the U.S. the number of virus cases increases daily. For a long while, I didn\u2019t know anyone personally who had fallen victim. Now I do. Friends who are recovering say it\u2019s a bad thing and needs to be taken seriously. You may know someone who didn\u2019t recover.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hubby and I are following the necessary precautions to stay safe. Just using wisdom here. We have no guarantee the wicked thing won\u2019t catch us, but we\u2019re doing our best not to catch it!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee” (Psalm 56:3).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That said, I have a confession. Weariness is trying to overcome me\u2014stress hitting from all directions, bombarding me and dragging me down. The weariness is in my thoughts.<\/p>\n\n\n\nWeariness is trying to overcome me\u2014stress hitting from all directions, bombarding me and dragging me down. The weariness is in my thoughts. <\/a><\/span>Click To Tweet<\/a><\/span>\n\n\n\n I\u2019ve experienced physical weariness after an exhausting project. A good night\u2019s sleep fixes that. But the weariness in my thoughts greets me each morning, casting a blanket of gloom over my day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I\u2019ve found a technique to identify the sources. Using a sheet of notepaper, I write at the top \u201cMy Circumstances Today.\u201d And then I list every concern that\u2019s taking up space in my thoughts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Today I had fourteen. Scanning the list, I highlighted concerns I can do something about. Four. Ten are beyond my control.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Number eight is one of the four I can do something about: \u201cfeeling an undercurrent of agitation and discontent\u2014and their synonyms: anxiety, tension, distress, dissatisfaction, unhappiness, restlessness, displeasure, disgruntlement.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Having a conversation with self: how is this making my life better?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Clearly, my rotten attitude is not making my life better. I\u2019ve spent enough time in this miserable place to know the way out. This strategy works: praise and pray.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I don\u2019t have to feel<\/em> like praising God. I don\u2019t even need a reason. I offer praise by a decision of my will\u2014because he is worthy, no matter what.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI will praise the Lord according to his righteousness and will sing praise to the name of the Lord most high\u201d (Psalm 7:17). I praise him according to his<\/em> righteousness<\/em>, not my circumstances<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For the ten concerns beyond my control, prayer is my only resource. That\u2019s not a negative statement. Prayer is my best<\/em> resource! Calling on God to bring his divine power into my situation is just smart.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Excuse me for taking a moment here to look over my list again and discuss it with the Lord.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You know my heart, Lord. You know what I want. I\u2019m putting all these concerns in your hands. Give me strength and wisdom to handle the things I can. For the rest, I trust you to do what\u2019s best, even if it isn\u2019t what I want. Accept my praise!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n The triumphant Christian life is lived in the mind. Don\u2019t allow uncertainty and turmoil to rule your life. Yes, there\u2019s much we can\u2019t control. But we know<\/em> this in the mind and count on it: nothing will separate us from the love of Christ!<\/p>\n\n\n\nThe triumphant Christian life is lived in the mind. Don\u2019t allow uncertainty and turmoil to rule your life. Yes, there\u2019s much we can\u2019t control. But we know this in the mind and count on it: nothing will separate us from the love of\u2026 <\/a><\/span>Click To Tweet<\/a><\/span>\n\n\n\n \u201cWho shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. Nay, In all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cFor I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord\u201d (Romans 8:35-39).<\/p>\n\n\n\n Living the maximum life!<\/p>\n\n\n\n I\u2019d love to know how you\u2019re doing during the pandemic. Please leave a comment. And I\u2019d appreciate your sharing this with your friends.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u00a9 Dianne Barker 2020<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" I\u2019ve decided to throw a party–a pity party. You\u2019re welcome to attend\u2014but you\u2019ll need to wear a mask and practice social distancing. Hope that made you smile! Because there isn\u2019t much to smile about these days. I\u2019m so glad our joy doesn\u2019t depend on circumstances but on our amazing Lord. Whatever happens, we know our […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[3],"tags":[9,438,571,570,572,15,357,568],"class_list":["post-1385","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-general","tag-dianne-barker","tag-living-the-maximum-life","tag-love-of-god","tag-pandemic","tag-pity-party","tag-praise","tag-prayer","tag-weariness"],"yoast_head":"\n