Don't Worry!

In his letter to the Corinthians the apostle Paul tells them, "I would have you without carefulness" (1 Cor. 7:32) Again in writing to the Philippians he says, "Be carefully for nothing," but the Greek word translated as careful is anxious and a better translation would be "I would that you weren't anxious" and "Don't be anxious about anything" (Phil. 4:6).

In our day anxiety, worry, distress, stress, tension, and dismay are rampant. The sad thing is that those things accomplish nothing good. Instead they sap our strength and fill our minds with negative feelings and thoughts that obscure our connection to the Spirit and what the Spirit is trying to tell us.

But when we've lived lives and habituated responses of worry and anxiety it is often difficult to unlearn our anxious habits! That's where the Truth Tools can be of great benefit to us. As we feel the old responses to problems start to tighten in us, we can use the Truth Tools to change our reaction. It takes time and practice, but it can be done!

Get Set--Go!

It has been a crazy and fast paced summer around here. Last night as Mr. J and I sat down to dinner we realized that it was the first time in 2 and ½ months that we had eaten dinner alone in our own home. We’ve either had company or were away from home during that time. It felt so nice, but today as I’m now starting to feel better all the things I’ve let slip for the past few months are jumping out at me and hitting me over the head. Wow, am I behind. My to-do list is longer than the paper I always use to make to-do lists on! It’s times like this that stress begins to push me into the Pit of Illusion. It tightens in the chest and makes all kinds of obnoxious noises in my head. “You’ll never get all this done!” it laughs a deep, delighted-to-see-you-fail chuckle that could sink a battleship in deep water.

But, the Truth Tools work. And I’m armed for battle. I’ve got a box full of tools and as every negative feeling of gloom and doom arises, I pull out a tool and go to work on it. My favorite Tool today is affirming to myself, “It just doesn’t get better than this!” and making the challenge of this to-do list into a game.I can do it!

I’m on my mark. I’m set. I’m going!!!!

Gifts For A Bad Day

Last night just over Cascade Mountain I saw the most beautiful rainbow I’ve ever seen. It made a full 180 degree arch and in front of it was a paler replica—a double rainbow! Besides being a full rainbow that arched from earth up and around and back down to touch the earth again, this rainbow had a full spectrum of bright colors blending from one to the other—seven of them! It was amazing.

It was also an incredible gift before a day when everything has gone wrong. You’ve all had those days—a $600 unexpected car repair job, my computer wouldn’t work and I spent all day talking with computer support people trying to get it fixed when I should have been working on the seven lectures I need to have ready for Education Week next week. I have a houseful of company coming Monday to stay for education week, and my husband’s office party is here tomorrow night.

BUT. . .all day long as I’d start to feel stressed, I’d think about that beautiful rainbow and be grateful I’d seen it. I’d close my eyes and see it again. The computer still isn’t fixed. The house isn’t ready for the party or guests, but I’ve got a rainbow in my head and I’m feeling good. I wish I'd learned not to stress about things like this years ago. It never did any good.And besides that my stressing caused me to miss something important. It absolutely amazes me how the Lord takes care of us—even before we know there is something that needs to be taken care of!