On Your Face - Earth, Wind & Fire
Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.- Philippians 4:6-7 New International Version (NIV)
Really, really reflect on the scripture and the EWF song. It seems like over these last two months, a lot of people are struggling with being somber and sad. What is going on? I know we have a lot going on in our lives but it seems like a lot of people are talking negativity and somberness to a whole new level. Is life really that bad? Sure, my life is not perfect and there things that could be a lot better, but it could be a whole lot worse. What is going on?
First of all it seems like people are really struggling with their jobs. I understand that. I have worked a lot of jobs where I come , home stressed, flustered and tired. The work consumed me, I came home and would crashed on the couch, eat, watch television and drift off to sleep. Then I would wake up and repeat the same day, day in and day out. I get that a lot of us deal with hell on our jobs. That is a given. The question is what are we doing to combat that hell? Are we meeting that hell with the armor of God? We constantly deal with people who lie on us, cheat, steal, and scandalize our name. Trust me I have been there. It almost defeated me, but it did not. On your job, you should be able to find one or two things that bring you joy in the workplace. Rather it be a friend you can trust, or some part of your day that you enjoy. Focus on that. Do you pray before you go to work? Pray that God will sustain you and keep you throughout the day no matter what happens. I did that when I was a teacher. I used to call out names of the students I was struggling with. I would ask God to lay his hands on them. It would work that day, the student would be less trouble for me. So if you have a boss, a coworker, student, or customer that is giving you grief, call their name out and God to fix them in your life. Ask God to equip you with the strength to endure with that person. Let God work out that situation in your life. Remember, often times God puts people in our lives good or bad as a vessel to get us somewhere or to teach us a lesson. Listen to him on what he is trying to teach you about that person.
Secondly, what is keeping you from pursuing other interests other career options? Are you doing your calling? This is why I believe a lot of people are miserable at work. It is because we are not doing what we were called to do by God. We ignore the signs and become afraid to step out on faith and settle where we are. Yet we wonder why we are unhappy in the places we have settled for.
You can do all the denying you want, but if you are just being comfortable, that could be why you are stressed, you are not being fulfilled. Look for that dream job while still praying and meditating at the necessary one. What is stopping you?
Next, we have those people who constantly seek out the worst case scenario. They have sick people in the graves already, refuse to live in joy and cannot understand how others stay happy and joyful in the midst of sickness and strife. They have the attitude that if you are not crying or falling all out then you do not care. They go around the sick and afflicted with bad attitudes and somberness. What they do not understand is that the sick and shut in feed off of that and can pick up on that energy. Something I heard on Oprah during her final episode was when she was telling the story of a sick woman who could tell the doctors and family were being sad and somber, the woman came up with a saying that I thought was perfect. "Please take responsibility for the energy you bring into this space." That is a powerful isn't it? If I were sick, I would not want anyone coming around me with sadness and despair. Everyday is a day of thanksgiving and everyday is a day of life. It drives me insane when someone treats the living as if they are dead. Not that you should not prepare yourself for the worse case scenario but how do we know what the scenario is? We have a tendency to speak for God and speak negativity as if we are speaking from God. God does not need a spokesperson or agent. Often, God has a tendency to flip the script on us when we least expect it. God is a god of healing. Healing comes in different forms but he ultimately heals all. I wish others could remember that more.
I know this economy is the tank. People blame the president, blame a party affiliation or a leader. We get so stuck on how bad this country is or the shape that it is in, we often forget about the accomplishments of this country. We stick on the negative, the bad things. Is this really what God wants for our lives? Are we remembering Philippians 4:6-7? It is time to take responsibility for the energy that we bring into this space. We are human, I get that. We struggle with our emotions. I am no exception. I am not saying that you cannot cry. I am not saying that you cannot prepare yourself for the worst case scenario. What I am saying is that when we focus on that and let it consume us, we are forgetting about the peace of God and forgetting about what he has in store for us.
So I encourage each and everyone of you struggling with work, sickness, and any other type of negativity to remember Philippians 4:6-7. Take responsibility for the energy you bring into other people's spaces. The way you feel is always written on your face. Like EWF says, "Sadness bears no remedy for the problems in your life." Lets us move forward. I can hear God, when we worry about tomorrow and focus on our negativity and sadness translating Philippians 4:6-7, "Hey why you worried? I got you. I got you! You my child. You not gonna be in peril or be cast away. It aint going down like that. I got you!" or "Have I ever left you in harms way? I'm kinda hurt that you don't trust me after all these years. Remember, I got you. ITS ALL GOOD!"
Be Encouraged!
