It was one of those weeks. An unexpected issue left me confused about how to respond, and thrust me into an emotional tailspin. And I had a hard time extracting myself.
Sometimes we’re forced into
situations that demand a response, but the answer isn’t always clear. It’s up
to us to prayerfully consider:
Is this a moment to fight—set a
healthy boundary, respectfully refuse to give in, or continue believing in
spite of how things appear?
Or is this a moment to surrender—
relinquish our desire, let it go, or accept that the final outcome might not be
our preference?
When you’re struggling to figure
out whether you should stand up or let go, these simple steps will guide you
through the process:
Step away from the situation. Even if only momentarily. Take a short walk,
stare out the window, take some deep breaths. The point is to disengage your
emotions so you can think clearly.
Confide in a trusted friend. This does not mean complain to lots of
people. Share your heart and concerns with a wise friend who will keep your
situation private. The opportunity to vent and hear an objective viewpoint is
priceless.
Quiet Your Heart. This is
a hard one when emotions get involved. But it’s the only way to hear that
still, small Voice. Strive to forgive, be objective, and really press in to
God.
Pray, pray, pray. Cry
out to God—ask Him to enable you to clearly perceive His will, settle your
emotions, and give you clarity and wisdom on how to proceed.
Use wisdom. When a clear answer isn’t
forthcoming, think the situation through knowing and believing that God
supplies wisdom when we ask Him.
Don’t move until you sense God’s
peace. Often
situations create pressure on us, but my response barometer is always peace. This often requires a strategy
of waiting. I refuse to move forward or make decisions apart from God’s peace,
and so should you.
My answer turned out to be a
combination of fighting and letting go. Once I sensed God’s
peace, I used His wisdom to clearly and rationally explain my point of view.
Then I let go, trusting that ultimately, God was in control.
Because He is.
As you follow these steps, strive
to get to the place where you possess peace regardless of which moment this
turns out to be for you—a moment to fight, or a moment to surrender. And
remember that either way, God loves you, His grace truly is sufficient, and His
plans are far better than ours.
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6 comments:
So sorry you were tossed into a hurtful situation, but so glad you let the Spirit lead you to a good response. And thanks for sharing that lesson with US!
Hugs from VA,
Susan
Great advice, Julie. I needed the reminder today to wait on God's peace. It was a confirmation for me to continue to wait on God for direction in a situation. Thanks!
Good advice, Julie, for those tough situations.
Mornin' Julie,
Lately, I've been praying about almost everything before I do it I feel like! I see that the more we take things to Him, the easier it becomes to decipher which is the Spirit of God prompting or which is us. I hope you have an AWESOME day today sister! Thank you for sharing! ~ Blessings out, Amy
Julie - your post arrived this morning in my inbox and couldn't have had better timing. Last night I was presented with a challenging question and I'm absolutely perplexed as to what to do. The situation calls for a quick response - and I'm not prepared to do so. All morning, I've been asking the Lord what to do. But it's so hard to extract myself, my assumptions and personal thoughts about this. I can come up with all kinds of reasons to do one thing or another, but I still don't have clarity. So, all that to say, I greatly appreciated your post this morning. It was as though the Lord gently reminded me that He is hearing. (sigh) :-) Thanks!!
Love these reminders for when we find ourselves in a challenging situation. Thank you, Julie.
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