Happy New Year! (or, Get Out of Dodge!)

Although we recognize that plenty of good things happened in 2022, the start of a new year can be melancholy – sadness for the people who are no longer part of our lives, regret over mistakes or missed opportunities, self-criticism for goals left unfinished. It’s easy to let those negative thoughts overpower the good ones until we’ve ruminated into a funk.

But how about if we try something different this year?

How about if we tell those negative voices in our heads to
take a hike,
hit the road,
get lost,
vamoose,
make like a tree and leave,
get out of Dodge,
beat it,
call it a day,
make yourself scarce,
go fly a kite,
make like a banana and split,
buzz off,
take a powder….

You get the idea.

Pay attention to those negative trains of thought and derail them! Tongue in cheek, but no less accurate. You don’t have to be a slave to those critical, disapproving, judgmental voices in your head.

When you catch your brain trash-talking you, turn it off. Literally do something else – recite a positive affirmation, say a prayer for yourself or someone else, do a few jumping jacks or deep knee bends – whatever it takes to get your ruminating brain out of the rut it’s digging.

Because just like our brains can have negative ruts that keep us trapped, with practice, we can build positive ones that are even deeper.

So instead of beating myself up because I didn’t post enough on this blog, I’ll fixate on the articles and posts I got published elsewhere. Instead of regretting goals that didn’t come to fruition, I’ll focus on ones that did.

How about you? Can you reframe those negative thoughts about 2022 into positive ones?

I’ll answer that – yes, you can!

In God’s Hands

Sometimes my worry about the people I love makes me try to control them. But God knows better than I do what’s truly best for them, and I need to let go. Click on the link below to read more in my recent post on Pause and Pray.

And while you’re there, consider subscribing to get Pause and Pray daily in your inbox. It’s a great resource to add a few minutes of prayer and holy action to your day!

In God’s Hands | Franciscan Media

Oh Come, Oh Come, Emmanuel

I know many of you are struggling during this holiday season. A wayward child, a dying loved one, poor health, a bare bank account, a lost job, pandemic disrupted travel creating empty seats at your holiday table – there are many challenges. Some of you are so overworked you could sleep through the holidays. Some of you can’t seem to find the joy in the “happiest season of all,” even though nothing is specifically wrong.

Whatever your situation, you are in my prayers.

A wise, dear friend died earlier this year. Her life was not an easy one. She told me once that whenever a life storm was brewing, she pictured herself and Jesus standing together just outside it. Then, as the howling wind and pounding rain started, He grabbed for her hand, and they marched into the whirlwind together. Even when it got so bad she couldn’t see him anymore, she knew he was there, holding tightly. When they came out on the other side, he was just as windblown and bedraggled as she was, but he never let go.

My friend gave me many gifts, but this vision is one of the best. It’s a striking reminder that we are not alone; God is always with us. He is a friend who will help our overworked hearts find rest. He is a confidante who understands sickness and death and loneliness- and who holds our hands even when we can’t see Him. We have a God who loves us so much he became visible in a tiny baby ready to lavish our souls with joy no matter what else we are going through. Yesterday at church, we sang, Oh Come, Oh Come Emmanuel.  The name means “God with us.”

Dear friends, take some time during this crazy hectic week to be still… and feel… and know: God is with us.

Do not fear: I am with you; do not be anxious: I am your God.
I will strengthen you; I will help you;
I will uphold you with my victorious right hand (Isaiah 41:10).

If you know someone who needs this encouragement, please share. And don’t forget to ‘like’ if you do!