The Road to Peace (Guest Blogger!!!)

I am THRILLED to have guest blogger, Sarah from Strain Me, join us here at Faith Along the Way today!  I love her writing and she challenges me to dig deeper in my faith and to fix my eyes on Jesus. I know you will leave here inspired and your soul refreshed as you take in her wisdom!

Where am I today?  I am the guest blogger over at Strain Me, Sarah’s blog, and I would love to have you check out another soul baring post: A Glimpse of God’s Glory.  There I share my heart about a message from God in the night sky and the message of hope He provided when I was weary and hurting.  Read all about it here: strainme.wordpress.com.

Don’t forget the Saturday Soiree Blog Party starts THIS SATURDAY and will help you coast into the weekend with stories of encouragement and inspiration!  Plus, the Blog Party Launch Giveaway also starts Saturday and I can’t wait to bless someone with this fun prize pack!

The Road to Peace

You jump out of bed in the morning humming a tune. Your kids are sweet and kind to everyone-including each other. You don’t face anyone disagreeable in your day. Money is never tight and appliances never break in your house. Sound about right? No? Well, me neither. Oh how the bumps in the road can be irritating and downright detrimental to the pep in our step!

We all know we need to give our anxiety to God, but how do we do that?

1. Realize we have no control. We can make all the plans we want, but life rarely works out just like we plan. If we are inflexible, we will never see the new direction God is pointing us in or the lessons we need to learn. Maybe the approach we are using to discipline our kids isn’t working and needs to change. Funds may need to be reprioritized when something comes up. And maybe the disagreeable person in our day is actually us. If we refuse to look at the situation from a different angle, God will not be able to use us. Admitting we don’t have control is our way of asking God to show us what we aren’t seeing. He is always willing to point it out to a willing heart.

2. Allow ourselves to feel what we are feeling and then move on. God never tells us to stuff our fear, sadness, or humiliation and pretend they aren’t there. Jesus knows feelings are real and He felt them as a human too. But we can’t let them control us and our next move. If anxiety guides us, we will never step outside our comfort zone. Taking time to recognize our emotions is a great way to move past and let go.

3. Find the good in the situation. The phrase about finding a silver lining is a cliché because it is true. There is always something good with the bad. The positive may seem small, but it is something to hold onto. Or maybe it is something big staring us in the face that we can’t see because we are only looking at the bad. We must find the silver lining and grab onto the hope it brings. And really, the tough times are often good disguised as bad. We won’t know the difference until we reach the other side of the situation. If we choose to see the good, God will honor our perspective.

4. Smile because we know God is going to use this setback! He always wants to grow our faith. He always wants to use us to bring others to Him. God always wants us to bring Him glory. Be excited that the outcome is going to be amazing!
Once we have done these steps, God assures us He is there and will take care of us. He loves us so abundantly, so fully, that it should take our breath away. Let God fill you with peace as He works everything out for your good and His glory.

Isaiah 43:2
When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;
And when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you.
When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned;
The flames will not set you ablaze.

I am wife to a wonderful man, and mom to 2 girls who amaze me every day. Come over to strainme.wordpress.com and see what God is teaching me!