TACTICS TO HANDLE DELAYS

Getting off work early, excitingly on your way home to relax only to be caught in a traffic jam - finding an incredible deal on a flight with minimal layover time and then get the dreaded announcement that the plane is having technical issues, which in turn, causes you to miss your connecting flight - waiting in queue over 40 minutes for the next available representative and the phone call disconnects as soon as she answers; these are small examples of impediments that will make a nun speak like a sailor and small examples of delays that we all face numerous times in a week.

Years ago, I had a friend that relied on receipts for his bookkeeping. Each time we would fill up the gas tank, it never failed that the machine malfunctioned and didn't produce the receipt. So he had to walk into the store, stand in line, and get his receipt. By the time he came back to the car, he was boiling mad. I, on the other hand, laughed the whole time he was walking to and from.

I found great amusement in this because I knew a secret. Well I can't really call it a secret because I told him this every single time it occurred. "When you stop getting frustrated, I bet the machine will give you a receipt. But until you learn your lesson, you will go around this same mountain again and again." And I sat there with a smirk on my face. Unfortunately I will not be able to tell you whether or not he in fact learned his lesson but I will leave his name and number at the bottom of this blog and you can reach out to him and ask haha (jk).

In my previous blog methods to reduce stress I shared internal and external conditions that we allow to disturb our peace. Peace of mind is more valuable than rubies. Peace in our bodies, peace in our homes, peace in our work place are sought after jewels.

Entertain this, every morning we are given 5 tokens. Each token represents peace of mind. Throughout the day, each time someone or something frustrates you, you have to use a token. After 18 hours have passed, you can exchange the remaining tokens you have for a hundred dollar bill. But if you lose your peace more than the 5 allocated "tokens" each replacement token costs you $100. Would you be a billionaire or a beggar at the end of your lifetime? Now that is food for thought.

What if I told you that each time you allow the frustrations of life to affect you, the stress chemicals released in your brain causes you to go into "fight or flight" mode. These are the same chemicals that are released as if you were being chased by a lion. If your body is constantly in "fight or flight" mode, it does not have time to ward off disease. Constantly stressing over situations will ultimately cause sickness in your body.

"Having wisdom paves a peaceful path through life." - Proverbs 3:17 Wisdom is knowing when we should put forth effort into battle or when we need to exercise restraint to remain calm, confident and serene.

Above, I referenced delays that are minuscule in comparison to delays of owning your own house, starting a business for yourself or following your passion. The delay of an answer to a prayer for healing of a terminal disease, an addiction that has a loved one imprisoned or a delay in your relationship to turn around are far greater than sitting in traffic.

These are not examples of small daily stresses, frustrations, or impediments that block us. These are types of examples that can change the trajectory of our whole lives. Because if we let go of our dreams simply because of the delay of it coming to fruition, we can change our whole paths based on lack of patience.

That is why the truth of this proverb sinks deep - "hope deferred makes the heart sick: but when the desire comes, it is a tree of life." - Proverbs 13:12

Patience allows us to stay calm and focused, even in difficult situations. Knowing it's going to come but releasing the need to know when. Perseverance, on the other hand, pushes us to keep going despite the obstacles we encounter along the way. Through perseverance we develop resilience and the ability to bounce back from failures.

Perseverance, determination, endurance, confidence, assurance, patience, resilience, are all attributes that we (as God's highest form of creation) have the full capacity of possessing. DO NOT LET GO OF YOUR HOPE, light the fire again, see yourself as if you already accomplished your aspirations and assume the feeling of the wish desired. Walk in the fullness that God ordained for you to have.

YOU ARE DESIGNED TO REIGN IN LIFE

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