My spouse is 82, and I’m 77 but not in a panic mood. A sense of calm prevails in our dwelling place.

We told our adult children not to visit us for the next couple of weeks. We are in self-quarantine. We don’t have any symptoms but don’t want to have any, either.

We’re both retired, so there is no need to be at the office or job site. Our car is in our garage, we have food in the freezer, and no, we do not need a new supply of toilet paper.

What’s with this deal of stocking up on huge amounts of TP? If you need that much on hand you probably should have gone to the doctor long ago, my goodness!

5 + spirituality common sense thoughts to stay calm even in troubled times.

1. Keep your relationship with God vibrant. Read your Bible, have devotional times with your spouse.

2. Do the reasonable thing, keep in touch by phone with family, friends, and neighbors with encouraging uplifting conversations.

3. Embrace this time of solitude. Quiet time brings strength to your body, mind, and spirit.

4. Eat right, move more, live longer. It’s time to evaluate your daily routines. Make efforts to change where change is needed.

5. If you have the symptoms of the Coronavirus virus, yes, pray, but call your doctor. The most spiritual move is to keep from infecting others.

Calm yourself with these 5 + points.

Plus one-Come to Him, not just follow, that’s right look to Him face to face.

1. Matthew 11:28; Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.

Plus, two-You will experience perfect peace by putting your trust in Him.

2. Isaiah 26:3; You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you!

Plus, three-God can restore and support you during this time.

3. I Peter 5:10; In his kindness, God called you to share in his eternal glory by means of Christ Jesus. So after you have suffered a little while, he will restore, support, and strengthen you, and he will place you on a firm foundation.

Plus four-When you encourage others. His peace will be yours to enjoy.

4. II Corinthians 13:11; Dear brothers and sisters, I close my letter with these last words: Be joyful. Grow to maturity. Encourage each other. Live in harmony and peace. Then the God of love and peace will be with you.

Plus five-even in troubling times, you do not have to be troubled.

5. John 14:27; Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

Even in these uncertain times, we as a couple are secure, calm, and not in fear.

I wish for you to have peace and a calm spirit during this trying time.

Here is my suggestion for you today;

And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful. Colossians 3:15

You have a choice to make.

Release your anxiety, replace it with the calm reassurance that you have a God who cares for you.

Thanks for reading.

Sign up to keep in touch.

Richard

Not all transitions are dramatic.

Sometimes change is expected but not welcomed. However when the end comes you’re adrift on a sea of uncertainty.

Stepping through the kitchen door after working the midnight shift I noticed the kitchen countertops were bare. In the eerie stillness, I knew she had left. The sun was shining but darkness flooded my soul. I had entered the Trilight Zone of transition. My eyes gazed into an uncertain future.

How will you navigate change?

One day your life is humming right along, then kaput the bottom drops out. At times you got an inkling, a hint, somethings not right. But you ignored it, push it aside, then reality hit you in the face. Boom. Now what?

I don’t wish it on you but life has a habit of throwing curves. A divorce, job loss, spouse or relative dies unexpectedly or your house burns down.

Now you are in a transition, what you thought was secure is not.

Five points will help you through this difficult time.

I know it is not easy for you, but I’ve been there, done that, and came out victorious on the other side. The victorious part I’ll get to later.

These five points are not out of a book. These are from my real-life experience.

Five Significant Choices When You Are In A Transition.

1. Refocus-analyze the complete picture.

Don’t dwell on what went wrong. Instead, focus on what to do next. Spend your energies on moving forward toward finding the answer. Denis Waitley

At this time in your life, everything is out of focus.

My sister helped me with this. I called her and told her what happened. She drove to my house. I had all the blinds pulled down, the house was dark. She came in pulled all the blinds up, put a record on my record player; (Yes it was that long ago.) “Cheer up, Richard, it’s a new day!” Dwelling on the past was not helping me move into an uncertian future.

2. Realize-what you still have, not what you lost.

With the new day comes new strength and new thoughts. Eleanor Roosevelt

I still had my sisters and brothers and friends. I had a good job. Yes, you may have lossed a lot but whatever you have to cling to, now is the time to assess what remains.

3. Recognize-you cannot control the uncontrollable.

Failure is not fatal, but failure to change might be. John Wooden

You cannot control others, they will do whatever it is they want to do. Release the business owner, when he wants to downsize he will. You’re fired, move on.

One of my favorite scriptures prodded me to move.

Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me. Your rod and your staff protect and comfort me. Psalms 23:4 (My emphisis)

The optimal word in Psalms 23 verse 4 is; ‘walk’. It’s an action verb. Through the transition, you will experience dark days. Throw the covers back, get out of bed and get moving. I mean that literally, a twenty-minute walk will clear the cobwebs from your mind.

4. Reduce-unnecessary stresses by learning to say ‘no.’

The greatest weapon against stress is our ability to choose one thought over another. William James

Mr. James is spot on; we get to choose the thoughts we think. This is the time to minimize obligations. Learn to say, No. I wrote the word ‘no’ is a complete sentence.

5. Regain-your sense of humor

I’m talking here of a sense of humor, not hilarity. There is no amusement in a loss. Humor provides a needed sense of buoyancy to your life. In other words, humor allows you to keep your head above the water.

What do I mean by saying after a divorce I came out victorious?

Over fifty years ago I met Fran. In a few months, we will celebrate our fiftieth wedding anniversary. Hooray for us!

I have these five points on the back of my business card. The first letter of each word is ‘R’ which makes these points easy to remember. Even though they are difficult to practice, each word will hasten your recovery.

Jot these words in your notebook as a reminder.

Refocus — Realize — Recognize — Reduce — Regain.

Join my Rich List to stay connected.

Thank for reading,

Richard

It is 6 A.M. You have a choice to make.

What is the first thing you do?

It is time to wake up and face the day. You have appointments, a job to go to and family to take care of, I know, but, before you throw the covers back, speak praise to the Lord.

When we begin our day with praise it fills our day with the ambient music of praise to God. How wonderful is that?

Psalms 34 is a great chapter to read and it begins with praise.

I will praise the Lord at all times. I will constantly speak his praises. Psalms 34:1

I’ll get to the idea of praise, but first, I encourage you to read Psalms thirty-four. This chapter is one of my favorites. This chapter contains an astounding package of instructions on how to live an overcoming life.

The shortlist contained in Psalms 34.

• Guides you on how and when to praise the Lord.
• The assurance that when you are in need of help, God hears.
• You will discover, God has placed a guard around you.
• You will not have a lack in your life.
• You will read instructions on assuring you of a long and prosperous life.
• God’s eyes are on you, and His ears are ready to hear your cry.
• God is in the rescue business.
• You are not condemned by Him but redeemed.

I’ve discovered praise to God first in the morning will pull back the covers on an astounding day.

First, the secret.

Begin the day with praise on your lips, no request, just an unadulterated word of praise to our mighty God. Yes, pure praise! Do not mix requests with your praise. First words in the morning flowing from your lips are all praise. You will have many opportunities to request God’s help throughout your day. But not now, this is praise time.

Okay, you need some suggestions:

• Thank you, God, for a good night’s sleep.
• Lord, You are so good to me.
• You have blessed me with this beautiful day.
• I’m forever grateful that Your mercies are new every morning.
• God, thank you for Your faithfulness to me.
• I love you, Lord, You are the Rock of my salvation.
• Oh, Lord, how majestic is Your name to me.

The list could go on praising God. But you get the idea, don’t you?

Nary a request or a plea for help, just thankfulness for who God is to you.

Now, throw back the covers, make the coffee and begin with the rest of your day.

I promise you, you’re day will have a new crispness, the sun will shine brighter, and happy faces will greet you throughout the day.

The end of verse one of Psalms 34 is interesting, the thought of praise all day long. How?

“… I will constantly speak his praises.”

“Praise now is one of the great duties of the redeemed. It will be their employment forever.” — Albert Barnes

But Richard, “I have other things to do and to speak about. I can’t keep muttering praises to God all day.” I hear you, but haven’t you heard of ambient music? It plays in the background. Praises huming along while you go through the day.

It’s background music, we used to call it, doctor-office music. A soothing constant peaceful sound. Praising God first thing in the morning brings focus to your day. It provides a lense magnifying God to you.

When you begin your day with praise it fills your day with the ambient music of praise to God. How wonderful is that?

The beauty of brevity. It brings focus to what we are saying.

In my examples above you notice the praises are succinct, meaning they are short and to the point of praise and nothing else. I’m not suggesting you go on a long-expression of your thankfulness. No, You can have devotions later. This is eye-opening praise.

Now, you have a choice to make.

What will be your choice tomorrow morning?

Keep in touch with me, join my Rich List.

Thank you for reading,

Richard