What Makes Self-care Seem So Difficult?

Human nature dictates we care for others and especially that we care for ourselves as long as we can do so. Taking care of yourself during grief and sorrow or following a traumatic event is difficult because the tendency to be narrowly focused shapes your behavior.

During very stressful moments the impulse to make important life decisions should be avoided since a significant change adds to stress levels by creating more anxiety and fear. Some changes are unavoidable, so consulting with trusted friends and family can be reassuring.

Taking ownership for self-care is important. Being accountable may involve asking for help, especially when feeling overwhelmed by too many choices and decisions. Never hesitate to seek the comfort and fellowship of the Lord God even if you blame him for what you are experiencing. God loves you with an unfailing love that will not fade or be diminished by your grief and sorrow. 

                           

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How great is God’s love for all who worship him? Greater than the distance between heaven and earth! How far has the Lord taken our sins from us? Farther than the distance from east to west! ... With all my heart I praise the Lord. 

~Psalm 103:11-12, 22b Contemporary English Version 

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What Interferes with Getting to Know Your Children?

Very few people would say parenting is an easy task. There are strategies that make parenting less stressful, such as creating a more relaxed atmosphere by not being so rushed physically and emotionally. Spend some fun time with children each day.

Children are extremely intuitive and sense distress and turmoil within the parents.

Someone noted that children are experts in intuition. Although they may not have the language or confidence to verbally state what they sense, they will display it behaviorally and emotionally.

Taking time to relax with your children or grandchildren should be a priority. Reduce the noise and distractions that interfere with getting to know and understand your child. Soft music and voices create a relaxed atmosphere. Consider this: “Bring up children in the way they should go” involves understanding them, which is an awesome task but a wonderful privilege. Remember they are created in God’s image.

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The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness, [O Lord]. 

~Lamentations 3:22-23 Revised Standard Version

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From Sunday, December 21 through Christmas Day, blogs will be posted each day to coincide with KHCB radio's special music and short devotional programming, "Five Days of Christmas". 

What Must We Overcome to Have a Heart of Mercy?

The most sought-after attribute of God is his mercy, for embedded in mercy are kindness and forgiveness – the essentials for restoration and healing, both spiritually and emotionally. Matthew 18 tells of a man whose debts were beyond paying, yet in an act of mercy his debts were totally forgiven.

You’d assume this man would show mercy to those whose debts to him were outstanding. Instead of mercy, anger and vengeance dominated his feelings and behavior. If we fail to show mercy as an act of gratitude for what has been given to us, the consequences could be astounding.

God does not look favorably on those who fail to show mercy when they have been the recipients of his mercy and forgiveness. 

Remember this truth to live by: “Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.” Never pass up an opportunity to show mercy, for who isn’t in need of God’s mercy? “Give and it shall be given to you.”          

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The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.

~Lamentations 3:22-23 English Standard Version

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Can Compassion Rise Above Resentment?

As surely as resentment has a negative cutting edge that wounds the heart and spirit, compassion has godly attributes capable of healing those wounds. Although it’s difficult to be vulnerable to the degree that compassion demands, it is possible, even toward those filled with hatred.

Compassion is similar to sympathy and empathy. Sympathy understands and shares feelings of sorrow and pain. Empathy is willing to put yourself emotionally in someone’s place who is experiencing that sorrow and pain. An American Indian proverb describes empathy as being able to walk in another person’s moccasins until you know what it’s like to be in their situation.

Compassion acknowledges that you have hurt others, whether intentionally or not. Compassion has the potential to be instrumental in helping others as well as helping yourself to heal. The Bible tells us God is full of mercy and compassion, and his compassion never fails, for it is new every morning.    

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Jesus the Son of God is our great High Priest who has gone to heaven itself to help us; therefore let us never stop trusting him. This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, since he had the same temptations we do, though he never once gave way to them and sinned. So let us come boldly to the very throne of God and stay there to receive his mercy and to find grace to help us in our times of need.  

~Hebrews 4:14-16 The Living Bible

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Is There a Benefit Associated with Worry?

In all of God’s creation, human beings are the only ones with a propensity to worry. It’s possible to become so fixated with worry and fear that it becomes impossible to enjoy God’s provisions. Worry is a prelude to procrastination, which stifles creativity because of being preoccupied with negative thinking.

Dorothy Fields’ song, On the Sunny Side of the Street, gives us this advice: “Grab your coat, get your hat, leave your worries on the doorstep, and direct your feet to the sunny side of the street.” She survived the troubles of this life by staying focused on the wonderful things God had provided and would continue to provide.

Worry makes it look as if you’re all alone against whatever is over-whelming. Jesus promises to send the counselor, the comforter, to be our help and guide in every imaginable situation life presents. So praise God and thank him for carrying you through the troubled waters of this life. His love and mercy will sustain you through whatever you're facing.  

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The Lord’s kindness never fails! If he had not been merciful, we would have been destroyed. The Lord can always be trusted to show mercy each morning.

~Lamentations 3:22-23 Contemporary  English Version

 

All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is our merciful Father and the source of all comfort.

~2 Corinthians 1:3 New Living Translation

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