People, Stress, & Forgiveness.

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Welcome to the Blog!

We deal with people every single day. Everyone is different. Some people are happy, cheerful, and just a delight to be around. Others, however.....maybe not so much. Some people are rather difficult to deal with. Sometimes we just have to deal with people, whether we like it or not because we don't have a choice. For example, if it is a relative. Or, if you have a job that requires you to deal with the public, then there's really no escaping the fact that dealing with people, is indeed on your to-do list.

Some people may be negative and maybe say things that start drama. Sometimes, It's best to just separate ourselves from people like that, if we can. Because if we are in the company of drama and negativity, then we could get sucked into the cycle that starts gossip and creates more conflict. We are NOT to judge them though. We must remember that NO ONE is perfect, so we must not judge them, but pray for them.

.....But what about situations, where you CAN'T separate yourself? As we mentioned above when you have to deal with the public for your job. Or a relative that you have to see frequently. Then what??

***The best thing to do in these types of encounters is to simply: PRAY and BREATHE. Yes, just pray and breathe. As simple as that sounds, it makes a HUGE difference. Just those few moments make a difference***

I can testify to this because in the past, I was one who spoke before thinking, before breathing, and definitely before praying. If you have ever been around people who have said things to hurt you, or may not see things the way you do and they vocalize that to you, then you know that can make the encounter with that person very stressful. In a moment of anger and hurt, taking that deep breath, and a quick silent prayer in our mind of, "God give me strength to deal with this person," is literally the LAST thing we think to do, before we speak. And definitely the last thing we want to do.

RELATIVES....

This is especially difficult when there has been a conflict of interest with a relative. Speaking out of anger is not the best option. There was a time in my life, in my past when that was exactly what I did: Speaking, while in a stressful mindset, before thinking first,..... and that usually didn't turn out so well. I would hold my composure and be fine until someone would say something rude to me and then I felt the need to, "speak my mind." Doing this caused me to hold a grudge, which resulted in me having a bitter root. Then, every time I would see that person, or pass by them on the street, those same angry feelings would stir up inside. Like, I wasn't free from those emotions. That was because I needed to forgive that person. Family conflict is rough because situations like these are like a bad cold. It affects others within the family, and not in a good way.

THE PUBLIC

Sometimes, dealing with people within the public can definitely take a toll on a person. When I was younger and worked in a store and dealt with different people every single day, there would be one or two each day that just were NOT the kindest type; and the thing is, on the job you have to deal with the people in a calm matter to appease the customers. It is so hard to hold in the frustration, bite your tongue, and put on a fake smile when dealing with an angry customer when you are just trying to do your job.

Doing this day, after day, after day, can wear a person down mentally. If we aren't careful, we can let encounters like these change our mindset, which makes our jobs twice as stressful. Then we wake up every day, dreading going to work. Not only does this make our job stressful, but this can affect our home life if we aren't careful. This will also drain a person physically.

***SO HOW DO WE FIND PEACE IN THIS CHAOS OF DEALING WITH PEOPLE???

Answer: Prayer, Forgiveness, & Acknowledgment.

-Communicating with God is KEY. We must do this DAILY, to better ourselves and not hold onto that stress. Lay it all at His feet in prayer and let Him take that stress away from you. I have found that doing this helps me let things go and maintain self-control, to be able to handle people who can be rather difficult.

-Forgiving others truly in your heart, will bring you peace that surpasses all understanding. This can be very hard to do. I know, trust me. There was someone in my life, that I did not truly forgive for YEARS. When I finally did, it changed my whole life by helping me see things the way that God wanted me to see them. I was then able to understand things more clearly. It brought me PEACE.

-Acknowledging the facts is something that I have I have found helpful to me as well. When I take time for myself to pray and clear my mind, I will also acknowledge facts like:

*I can't change people, they will only change if they decide to, so just pray for them.

*Dwelling on every conflict that I have had today, is doing me no favors, whatsoever. Keeping my mind on this is changing nothing, and keeping me stressed.

*I am imperfect, yet God has forgiven me of my sins. So, I CAN forgive also!

* I CAN find JOY! I CAN live in PEACE!

*Through Christ I can do ALL things!

*I must CHOOSE to seek God and change my mindset to see things and handle things the way He wants me to, in order for me to maintain this peace.

When we surrender ourselves to Christ, pray, and seek Him daily, we will be willing to forgive others and show them the love of Jesus Christ. We will feel peace and learn how to love others, the way He loves us.

Something that helps me is reminding myself that I am not perfect, and I know there are times when I can be difficult as well, and God forgives me. When I think of all the times I have asked for forgiveness and He has been so forgiving and patient with me, it makes me want to forgive others and be patient with them as well. And we must choose to do right, regardless of what others say or do. It is always good to remind ourselves of these things.

Verses for prayer and clarity:

"Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye."- Colossians 3:13

"I can do ALL things through Christ which strengtheneth me."- Philippians 4:13

"And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses."- Mark 11:25

(Holy Bible KJV)

*I pray that this blesses someone. These things in today's BLOG have really helped me and changed my life. Forgiveness will set you free from so many strongholds. I will say though, that this was a lifestyle change that I had to make. I still have to remind myself of these very things sometimes. Communicating with God every day and getting into His word, helps me maintain self-discipline. If I am not persistent, I can become weak and let myself fall back into that stressful mindset. I'm so thankful for Jesus who helps me deal with this stubborn flesh. Thank you LORD!

THANK YOU FOR TAKING THE TIME TO READ MY BLOG POST!

MAY GOD BLESS YOU ALL!