Serenity
Calm Sufficiency
Introduction
It’s spring break for me which means I am writing this on Monday; I will schedule it to arrive on Sunday, at which point I will be on my way back home. Today, I am crossing things off my “to do” list and trying to remain calm as I get things in order and get my bags packed for a trip to visit my grandson Ian (see photo). Will I get everything done in time? Will I forget anything important? Thank you for joining me for this issue of The Adventure of Reflection while I ponder serenity; a place of calm sufficiency, a place from which I am writing.
A Minute of Motivation
You Have What You Need for Today
Sometimes life can seem pretty overwhelming, and you may frequently wonder, “How will I make it through today?” There seems to be so much to do, so many places to be, so many demands being made on your time and your thoughts; it’s easy to say, “I’ll never make it!” or “Today is too much for me to handle.”
One of the great illusions in life is that it often looks like you do not have what you need. In reality, you always have available to you all that you need, if you open your heart and your eyes to it. If you need the strength to face a frightening situation, courage is available to you. If you need to know that a desperate situation will be resolved, hope is available to you. When there seems to be no way of solving a problem weighing you down, a solution awaits you around the next corner, if you will look for it. Whatever the need, there is something available in your life to meet that need. Notice I didn’t say everything you WANTED is available to you each day; I said everything you NEED is available to you.
Trust that what you need to face the challenges of today can be found along the path of today. Keep your eyes open to see it, and your hands free to receive it.
Note. Originally written in 1993 and preserved on dot-matrix printer paper. Published for the first time here.
Enjoy Life More
A Nap Might Help
A little bit of sleep deprivation can drastically reduce my sense of well-being. With the recent time change, most of us “lost” an hour of sleep. With bedtimes and awakenings disrupted, it will take three weeks for our bodies to fully recover from this mild “jet lag.”
Experts estimate that one out of every three American adults are chronically sleep deprived, getting fewer than six or seven hours of sleep each night. Teens and children need more sleep than adults, and they, too, are often sleep deficient. Civilization encourages being productive; sleep is seen as a waste of time.
Having too little sleep causes slowed thinking, low energy, and irritable mood. Caffeine, the popular substitute for sufficient sleep, doesn’t address the body’s need for sleep. And caffeine, can interfere with the quality of sleep, making it less effective at doing its restorative work.
To enjoy life more, get enough sleep. If you’re tired, take a short nap. A brain refreshed by sleep is more able to focus and to learn. A body restored by rest has more energy to be productive. A rested mind is calm and cheerful; the world looks better through rested eyes.
Faith Corner
“Return to your rest, my soul, for the Lord has been good to you.” (Psalm 116:7)
When there seems to be too much to do and not enough time or energy to do it, where do I even start? When I feel tired and overwhelmed with the seemingly countless demands on my time, what do I need to do first? With mind spinning and heart in distress, I don’t know where to begin.
One of my all-time favorite books is A Christian’s Secret to a Happy Life by Hannah Whitall Smith, written about 150 years go. One of the things she advises in this book is to work from a place of rest, not rest after a time of work. Seems backwards, doesn’t it? We think we should work ourselves to the point of exhaustion and then collapse to recover. Hannah proposes that work is more effective when coming from a place of rest. She talks about an inner peace and calm from which effective actions flow into the world around us.
Can I do this for a day? Can I do this for today? Can I approach the day with a quieted mind and a happy heart? Here’s a prayer I wrote for myself on November 2, 2020, when I was pondering the words, “Return to your rest, my soul, for the Lord has been good to you.”
Thank You, Lord, for being good. Thank You for being a place where I can rest – even when there seems too much to do. Help my mind and spirit to be in a place of rest – in You. Help my heart to be in a place of contentment – in You. Heal my mind. Heal my heart. Renew my spirit. Restore my body. All is well. You are good. Today is good. Tomorrow, in Your hands, is good. Help me with thoughts of “yesterday,” some of which do not feel good. Help me trust Your good in my yesterdays. Help me trust Your good in all of my tomorrows. Help me trust Your good in today. Thank You for being good. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Poetry Pause
Return
Return from striving;
Return from planning;
Return from worrying;
Return from searching;
Return to Rest.
Why?
The Lord has been good to me;
The Lord is good to me;
The Lord will be good to me;
The Lord is Good!
Amen.
By Cindy MacGregor, November 2, 2020.
Note. I wrote this poem when pondering Psalm 116:7.
Old Mom to Young Mom
Be a Calm Example
How do you react when something doesn’t go as you planned? What attitude do you display during times of slow traffic? How much of a fit do you throw when you burn the toast or forget to put the milk away? How calm are you when something is misplaced, like your keys, phone, or the remote? Do you react calmly, or do you lose control over yourself?
Children are watching. As you are intentionally teaching them how you want them to act, they are learning how to act by watching you. What are children learning about self-control when they watch you control, or fail to control, your reactions to the unplanned and the frustrating?
As an old mom to young parents, I encourage you to learn to be a calm example to your children when you are being tested by the unexpected or unwanted. Learn to reach inside of yourself and find your throttle and hold it steady in times of pressure. Your children are guaranteed to encounter the unexpected and the annoying in their lives. There is no difficulty-free path for anyone. Teach your children to be calm under pressure by watching your calm example.
Dear Dr. Mac
I love trying to be wise. With degrees in psychology and leadership, I have a lot of advice to offer. some of it might even be good. If you would like to hear what I think about something, please send an email to: drcjmacgregor@outlook.com; I will respond via email or in this section of a future newsletter, or both. I hope to hear from you!
You can find all my previous posts at https://cindymacgregor.substack.com/archive