Thursday, February 2, 2017

Mindful of the Moment - Part 1 - Reducing Stress

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Most of us careen through life on auto-pilot, taking very little thought to what we are doing, or what is happening around us. We lose out on the hugs that God sends us all day long when we mindlessly accomplish our to-do list for the day.

We keep our nose in our phone or tablet and are oblivious to what God is doing all around us. God reminds us to be still and to realize that He is God, and there is no other (Psalm 46:10).

Take a moment to breathe deeply, tune into God's Spirit's direction within and slow down mentally, physically, emotionally and spiritually. What is happening in us and around us in this one present moment of time?

Purposeful attention reaps many rewards for us, because we are paying attention to both our circumstances and God's Spirit within. We accomplish more with our time, energy and effort.

We focus on what we are doing rather than on the disappointments and missed opportunities of the past, or on worrying about the future.

Uncluttering our mind helps us to make wiser decisions in the present moment. We give our full and undivided attention to the details right in front of us and we do a better job.

Since we no longer burn the candle from both ends, we stay in better health, we spend time with the loved ones we cherish, we ignore distractions and better enjoy accomplishing the job at hand.

We keep paper and pen handy to jot down ideas, reminders and plans of action that God reveals to us as we wait on Him - praying continually as we accomplish His will for our day.

Multi-tasking is often revered in today's society; but it is destructive in so many ways. Instead, we can detach from the chaos around us; take a stride back, quiet our mind, and make Jesus our center.

Prayer:
Father God, teach us to center on You and Your will for our life, rather than on our own plans and purposes. Give us Your peace and joy to sustain us in the world of heartbreak and disappointments. Lead us in a solid, level path because of our enemies (Psalm 27:11).

Open our spiritual eyes and ears so that we are aware of the divine appointments that You lead us to each day. Help us to make use of every opportunity to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ with anyone willing to listen. Do not allow the loss of anyone's soul to be on our hands because we are too busy or too disobedient to obey Your promptings to share the Good News with anyone willing to listen (Ezekiel 3:18).

Thought for the Day:
Stress from daily living will put us in an early grave, unless we learn to live in the Spirit and not fulfill the desires of our flesh. - Galatians 5:15-25