His Story Not My Story

-Correct Your History Before It Happens-

I started the title of this before our vacation, which was needed! There were many amazing things that happened on that trip. If I were to sum it up in one word, it would be love. We felt loved everywhere we went. We felt love from every person we encountered. We felt loved, and I hope, too, that we gave that love back. On the trip, though, I found a quote at our friends’:

“I became aware of what happened, later. I realized then that I must pay attention to the present as this will become my past. To some degree I can choose my memories.”

Thomas L. (can’t quite make out the last name), circa 2000

It’s interesting because I had very little anxiety during the entire trip. When we got back, I noticed feeling more pressure, more stress, more anxiety. Things started happening. Our car messed up after not even a month out of the shop. You know the drill! Murphy shows up, uninvited.

I’ve linked to this sermon before because it was so impactful to me. What rings true for me at least is the fact when I groan and complain about said Murphy, a key thing happens:

I remove the glory from God and put it on myself.

How can I fix this?

There are three things we can get into the habit of doing that I think will help.

• 1. Pray
• 2. Praise
• 3. Practice

Pray. While away, we heard a great message about praying big prayers with a firm foundation of belief underneath them. In other words, pray it like you mean it and like you believe it to be true. When the real world starts chipping away at your joy, take pause and pray. If religion isn’t your thing, try putting your struggle out there. I have friends who do this.

Praise. We are supposed to praise Jesus in the good times and the bad, not just when we get our way. When we confess our struggles or put things out there, consider what’s good in your life. It’s a proven fact focusing on gratitude eases anxiety, stress, and worry. Give a shoutout to things in which you’re grateful.

Practice. Life is full of immense beauty, love, and joy. That doesn’t mean it’s always that way or always easy. Any time we try to change a habit, it’s easy to find ourselves resorting back to those old habits. Don’t be discouraged. As soon as you catch yourself, look at the first two steps. Take pause and pray and then offer praise. Practice. It takes time, effort, and consistency to create a new habit. If you get discouraged, practice self-grace. It’s funny how we can have all the compassion in the world for others but not so much for ourselves. Change takes practice.

I believe in doing these things we can make our story about His story and eventually create a better history for ourselves.

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