I’m just sitting thinking about the 22 yr. old young man that just shot the police officer at Virginia Tech. Doesn’t it make you wonder how someone so young could have so much anger and bitterness in his heart? What was he thinking? Did somebody just tick him off and he just decided he’ll do the worst thing possible back to that individual? My grandparents would tell us when we were children “don’t hang out with the wrong (bad) crowd!” Could it be, he connected with some folks that heavily influenced him to do the wrong things?
Well, rest assured, I’m not the psychologist, or psychiatrist and I can’t answer the who, what, where, when, and how concerning this young man, but truth be told, we’ve all at some point in our lives have been angry, hurt, bitter, busted, and disgusted too. It’s not all about what you’re going through; it’s about how you work the middle ground and approach each obstacle while coming out on the other side.
Here’s my list of things to do to diffuse tension and stress in your life.
1) Right Meditation: You must change the way you think, period! I’m certain you’ll see this a lot in my post as my top #1 meditation helper. You guessed it! The HOLY BIBLE/SCRIPTURES! Read the scriptures for yourself (ask for help if/when needed). It’s time for people to really know what God thinks about them verses how or what the world thinks about them. How are you going to know if you don’t’ spend time with Him. I’m a firm believer that God will not fail but man will fail you every time. This leads me to my second stress reliever.
A GREAT ONLINE AUDIO BIBLE
Extremely helpful in pronouncing difficult words in the Bible too.
2) PRAYER/TRUST GOD…If you don’t’ know how to trust Him, well first you must believe He is and if you believe He is then you should know that you can go to Him in prayer/talk to Him. Trust Him to lead you every step of the way.
3) Forgiveness: Didn’t say it would be easy. It’s what God requires of us. I’ve always found God to be much bigger than I am in this department, especially since He has forgiven me for all my sins and the dumb things I’ve done. He allowed His only begotten son to die on the cross for the sins of the whole world. That’s pretty huge to me. So, I go to him when I’m having a difficult time with anyone or anything for that matter. I’m always confident He will work it out. Notice I said He will work it out?
4) Remove yourself from negative people, places, and things: Usually these kinds of folks are “dead” giveaways. They gossip (talk negatively about others most of the time). They are more about helping themselves than helping others. They usually can’t handle someone else getting a good position and moving up while they remain in the same spot. Oh yeah, let’s not forget the ones that whine and complain about absolutely everything never having anything good to say.
5) Good Positive Reinforcement: It’s imperative that we are listening to stuff that’s edifying and uplifting. Find some good music to listen to. My favorite is gospel music but I do listen to other genre of music. Our youth are listening to and saying stuff in my opinion that’s killing them or causing them to become even more frustrated and violent. I’ve been connected with very positive and motivated young men who truly love the Lord and put a positive message out there for our youth through gospel rap. Stay tuned for next week’s blog: My son-in-law calls it: Rendering Music That Edifies The Soul. I’ve been hanging out with these fellows; I’m so appreciative of how God blesses me through their music and how they are allowing the Lord to use them in such a wonderful way.
6) Exercise - Eat Healthier – I can’t speak for anyone else, but I love the energy I have after my Tae Bo workouts with Billy Blanks . A good workout can also help clear up a lot of foolishness that combat your mind. Eating healthier and exercise pretty much should go hand-in-hand but I must confess “it ain’t easy!” Really a lot of these items listed is not easy but hey go for the challenge. You’ll be surprised at how much better you’ll feel!
7) Kick Those Bad Habits: For goodness sake – if you don’t drink alcohol or use drugs, don’t’ start! If you are abusing either of the two or both, GET HELP NOW! Don’t put it off another day. Contrary to popular belief, alcohol and drugs give you very temporary satisfaction and only add to your misery and in many instances affects others that are connected to you in a negative way. With that being said, recognize who your real friends are. Really, would a true friend ask you to use drugs or drink until you pass out? “All I’m Saying!”
8) Do Work In Your Community: Try helping others in your community. You'll find your problems get smaller when you see what others are going through and you'll quickly forget about the thing that got you so upset in the first place.
Hey, I’m done for now! I’m sure you have a few things you can add to this list (feel free to post your comment). I’m a living testimony; there are so many other things we can do besides sitting around in this world being miserable.
