What do you do when impossible situations steal your peace? I have experienced enough of them to know.
New friends ask me, “Being blind, how do you put on your makeup?”
They also ask me, “How do you coordinate your clothes? I could never do it.”
My answer is simple…
“Although I need no light or a mirror, I apply it in the dark. Feeling the eyelid to determine what colors to brush, I do it carefully.”
It’s a routine task for me. After living with complete blindness for 30 years, I’ve had lots of practice. So much so that I often forget my limitations. I guess that’s good.
But what’s not so good is that I also forget to give myself enough time to get ready when going out. I have to pry myself from endless tasks. At the last minute, I rush around like a crazy woman. I hop in the shower, slip on my robe and dash into my walk-in closet. Frantically, I slide hangers, looking for any outfit to wear.
How do I do this with no sight? I have an easy method.
When I purchase an item, I store in my memory its characteristics—the texture, the shape of the neckline, buttons or length of sleeve. One light touch tells me what the item is.
But when I’m in a hurry, trying to find the right outfit gets a bit tough. Not because I can’t see, but because I just have too many clothes. Way more than any blind gal should be allowed to have. The bar holding all those hangers is probably sagging from the weight!
Pleasing Others
Oh, how my jammed closet resembles my life—full of tasks of all kinds and sizes. That’s because we’re crazy-busy women and have no choice. Because we have lots of people to please, don’t we?
As a young girl, my mindset was that I tried to perform to win my parents’ and teachers’ approval. Later on, I wanted to please my husband, my kids, my employer and my friends. Phew! I thought that the only way to please myself was by pleasing them.
Have you been there?
The pleasing craze explodes during holiday season. We rush through life eager to make someone happy. And the level of stress and tension rises like the thermometer in Orlando’s summer.
But now that the holidays are behind us, an invitation to begin a good new year is calling us. Whether you have snow or not, how about if we vow to cool off? God never meant us to live in the heat of tension. He gave one pretty refreshing directive: “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the law? Jesus said to him, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind” (Matt. 22:36-37).
When life sags from the weight of countless tasks, obeying His greatest commandment is the key to peaceful success.
Really? So how do we do that?
Bringing Back His Peace
Early In the morning as we slide our feet into our slippers, this is what should play in our head: Loving God means receiving His peace. And when the world robs it, here are six secrets to bring back His peace:
- Inviting Him into our day.
- Drawing wisdom from His word to place the correct order to our priorities.
- Presenting Him with our to-do list for His approval.
- Giving thanks in advance for glitches we know He will resolve.
- Inviting into our day moments of silence in His presence to refuel our energy.
- Inhaling the aroma of His reassurance for calmness.
Deviating from His ways equals burnout. But obeying His greatest commandment ushers in wisdom: To arrange priorities; to press forth when fatigued; to bring clarity when confused; to be calm when overwhelmed and to know the warmth of His love—the love that sparks a desire to please Him. To receive His rest. And to know His peace because “It’s useless to rise early and go to bed late, and work your worried fingers to the bone. Don’t you know He enjoys giving rest to those He loves?” (Ps. 127:2b, The Message).
Let’s pray.
Father when impossible situations bring on stress rather than peace, grant me wisdom to stop and to invite your peace back into my heart. And in that calmness, may You be the one who reigns and occupies the main place. In Jesus’ name, amen.
What has robbed your peace lately? {eoa}
Janet Perez Eckles is an international speaker and the author of four books. She has helped thousands conquer fear and bring back joy.
This article originally appeared at janetperezeckles.com.
Shawn Akers 
Abby Trivett