99 Coping With CRISES God’s Way. Psalm 42-3.

How we handle a crisis determines how we come out of it. Here are five suggestion by Doctor Jeffrey Rossman to help us to understand and come out stronger. (1) Acknowledge your feelings. King David said in the above Psalm “When my spirit was overwhelmed...you knew my path” God already knows how you feel, so stifling your emotions just saps your energy and leaves you tense, depressed and slows down the healing process. (2.) Confide in someone. This doesn’t mean pouring your heart out to everyone; It means opening up to those who love and care about you. The Bible says (Proverbs 17:17 ) “A friend always loves, and a brother is born to share trouble” Numerous studies confirm the power of social support to help us stay healthy through crisies. (3. Start a journal or a blog. Writing about a traumatic event is a way of letting it out. It minimises your chances of becoming sick or depressed. The more you write, the more your negative responses to the memory diminish. (4.) Refuse to play the blame game; by saying “It’s the other person’s fault” or “The Doctor butchered the procedure or “The Boss never gave me a chance.” Blame-shifting makes others responsible for your pain, and more often than not, it results in lingering grudges that prolong your misery. Let go of toxic bitterness and judgements, stop feeling like a doormat; you can forgive while taking steps to make yourself less vulnerable next time. (5.) Forgive yourself; Here’s a surprise- You are human! Acknowledge you’ve made a mistake. Ask God for forgiveness, then forgive yourself and move on. God’s word says in (Isaiah 43:25 ) “When He forgives, He remembers your sins no more.” So neither should you. When you find yourself in a crisis, having the right attitude makes all the difference. Dr. Jeffrey Rossman continues by offering these further 6 steps to the right attitude; (1.) Look for a way to find meaning. Resilient people use their experience to help others. ‘(God) comforts us every time we have trouble, So when others have trouble, we can comfort them” see (Corinthians 1:4). (2.) Examine your priorities In (Psalm 90:12) We read:”Teach us to use wisely all the time we have.” How would you most like to spend your time differently? Who would you like to spend that time with? Now think, how can you use your strengths in the service of what is important to you? If you had only a year to live, what conversations would you want to have? What kind of person would you want to be? (3.) Believe you can bounce back. A crucial aspect of resilience is yourself, the bounce is having faith in your ability to cope. Even if you have the practical skills to deal with the issue at hand, unless you believe in your emotional ability, you will waiver. (4.) Get moving. Physical exercise boosts your energy and mood. It reinforces your ability to take charge of your health and well-being. (5.) Step out of your comfort zone. Keep… Growing in knowledge and understanding. (Philippians 1:9) Learn a new language or computer programme, Begin a new project at home or at work. Embracing the unfamiliar strengthens your confidence and capacity to handle new situations. The more you require of yourself the more resilient you will become. (6.) clear the weeds choking your optimism. When you start thinking pessimistic or cynical thoughts step back and reframe your perspective by looking for concrete steps to solve the problem. Remember, Crisies (For the most part) are just short-lived seasons, Here today and gone tomorrow. And time is a great healer, I don’t want to minimise “crises” Nor do I want to overstate the gravity of some of them. God is in charge, and whatever He’s doing or allowing, is part of His Will and plan for us at this present time. So instead of asking God to remove us or change the situation we find ourselves in; we need to say”Show me Father God how You can be honoured and glorified as You take me through this Crises”. Submission to the Will of God always brings fruitful results.. Thank you for reading these few words on “Dealing with Crises” We all have “Crisies” come into our lives from time to time, and sometimes I wonder if God allows them to see just how much we really do rely on and truly trust Him!! He has never let me down yet and I know He never will. My moto is “Trust & Obey” Let it be yours too. Try it, Mean it, Do it! It works! God Bless. Phaline.. ---------------------------