Psalms 127:2:“It is useless for you to work so hard from early morning until late at night, anxiously working for food to eat; for God gives rest to his loved ones.”
STOP says the Red Light!
STOP says the Red Light!
I'd like to start this week’s blog post with a few simple questions:
Qsn1) Why Do We Have Traffic Signals?
Qsn1) Why Do We Have Traffic Signals?
Ans1) To regulate /control the Traffic in order to prevent accidents by ensuring a smooth and faster flow of vehicles at intersections.
Qsn 2) What would happen if there were no traffic lights to guide us?
Ans 2) There would be total confusion resulting in many accidents ,endangering the lives of many.
Thus you can see why it is very important to heed and obey the traffic signals always.
Thus you can see why it is very important to heed and obey the traffic signals always.
Similarly as we travel along the road of life, sometimes we need to STOP and take a BREAK in order not to break !:)
This week’s blog post HALT! DANGER AHEAD!
WHY TO HALT?
Today, we live in a world full of stressors of every kind which play a crucial role in our every day life. Let me introduce you to an invention of mine. I call it the LAW OF STRESSORS: states that: “other things remaining the same, we react more strongly when under pressure/troubled by Stressors than we would otherwise.”
Let me explain this with an example:
Consider a day when everything went wrong-you feel worn out & miserable, unable to think clearly to make an important decision. Feeling muddled up,confused and hopeless,you go to bed heavy-hearted still not sure of what to do.Waking up the next morning,you feel different,you are at peace.No longer disturbed , you know exactly what to do and can hence now effortlessly start your action plan.
Has this ever happened to you? Have you ever wondered what caused this overnight change? What actually happened here? This week’s blog post answers these questions
WHAT IS HALT?
I like to use the well known acronym HALT for explaining something that may truly revolutionize your decision making capacity forever.
WHEN TO HALT?
1)HUNGRY-Sometimes we need to stop when we are hungry and get the proper nourishment required. A cup of warm milk and some cookies or a tumbler of fresh cool lemonade can do wonders! This will help us to clear our fuzzy thinking and avoid hasty decision since a hungry person is seldom a patient one.
2)ANGRY-We think emotionally rather than rationally when we are angry. Hence we end up saying things we don’t mean and later regret .It’s always best to WAIT till our anger towards the person who has irritated us has cooled down .A bit of advice from past experience: Never make any important decisions /cancel a friendship in a fit of rage. James 1:19 says : “Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters: You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry.”
3)LONELY-When Lonely, we may enter into wrong & harmful friendships / relationships which we would otherwise definitely have avoided.At times we may find ourselves all alone or we may have loving people all around us and still feel “lonely in the crowd”.Let us remember at this time His promise that He will never leave us nor forsake us.(Joshua 1:5)
Psalms 68:6 says: “God places the lonely in families; he sets the prisoners free and gives them joy.”
Psalms 68:6 says: “God places the lonely in families; he sets the prisoners free and gives them joy.”
4)TIRED-When we are either sick /fatigued/not properly rested, our tempers are likely to have a shorter fuse and we are most likely to sin with our TONGUE.When tired, let us bring to mind Isa 40:31 : “But those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.”
Solution: It Is Best To Take A Break And Later Come Back And Make The Decision When Our Minds Are Refreshed. Then We Will Be Able To Think Clearly And Make Wiser Solutions.
HOW TO HALT? A FEW HALTERS TO HELP :
1)Sleep over the issue at hand. You may get up the next day with answer on your fingertips!
2)Pray over it-It is always best to ask God to reveal to us His wisdom before undertaking anything important.
3)Meditate–Check what the Scriptures have to say about that particular situation and agree with it,claim God’s promises over your life.* Pls refer : Blog post A WORD FOR EVERY SEASON,A LORD FOR EVERY REASON. Link:http://sparkylaurie.blogspot.com/2011/03/march-17-2011-word-for-every-season.html
4)Talk it out with a trustworthy friend /parent/relative who has sufficient experience & wisdom in the mater and hence would be definitely able to add value to what we already know.
5)Write out your spontaneous thoughts in a personal diary/ journal.
6)Go out for a walk-This helps to clear our head and sharpen our thinking.
7)Listen to music-This is one of the best anti- stressors known to man.
8)Do something FUN-Whatever you like to do that rings you joy and will help you forget your problems(dance/draw/go for a drive/window shop/cook a meal)
9)Play with a child-My fav way to de stress is to make my child laugh and to laugh with him.
10)Read a comic book-LAUGHTER IS THE BEST MEDICINE
11)SMILE- Just smiling can release a lot of pent up energy and free us from being negative/pessimistic. :)
12)Take a Deep Breath- As you inhale, imagine goodness/ life/ happiness/ joy/ peace/ success and other positive emotions entering your nostrils and filling your lungs and as you exhale imagine fatigue/failure/defeat/pain/tiredness/anger/bitterness/jealousy and other negative emotions etc leaving your lungs through your nostrils. Do this exercise repeatedly for some time and you will definitely feel lighter and calmer.
…..I am sure that you can keep adding more to this list of HALTERS!
For a good laugh:Watch MR BEAN AT THE TRAFFIC SIGNALS by clicking on the links below :
Have a wonderful week!
Take care,God bless,
Sparky laurie
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