I’m absolutely fascinated by watching people. In fact, I almost went into the hotel's "night club" the other day that the front desk lady clearly said "I don't think it's for you," just so I could watch the people (and get a really fun instagram story.) I also spend a lot of time in airports, sitting, (as I am doing as I write this) waiting and watching. Airports seem to be a simmering pot for something to go wrong and for emotions to boil over.
 
Lately, things on my flights have been going wrong a lot, so I have had the chance to really observe and take notes on my own and other people’s behavior when things are just plain out of our control.
 
Don’t get me wrong, I am a fighter….which has gotten me into trouble on several occasions. I am fiercely loyal to friends and family and for the cause of justice. But, aside from that when things go wrong, flights get cancelled and luggage gets lost, I tend to take on an “it is what it is” kind of attitude.

My anger, my biting words, and desire for things to be right will not change the fact that the plane has broken down, come in late or that my bags are in limbo. So it simply “is what it is” and when that happens I strive for resolution and understanding, but I also ask God what can I learn from this….anything…I'll take any little lesson He has to give in the most frustrating of situations.
 
This past weekend, as I dealt with luggage that didn’t make my flight, which meant my event clothes and all my merchandise and CDs were potentially not going to make it I felt frustrated, but what could I do…the show must go on, so I just wrapped my mind around the fact that I just needed to wait.
 
So I am asking myself (which means I am asking you) what is worth fighting over, what is worth waiting over? What areas do we need to rise up and speak more loudly and when do we simply need to sit down, shut our mouths and wait for things to unfold. It sound sounds like an easy question, but the answers will differ for each of us.
 
Lord, help us to be fighters for faith. Help us to know when to rise and when to lay down. Guide our words, but more importantly our hearts. Thank you God for caring about the little things and the lost things, our words and our heart. Lord, let every breath that you give us bring life, healing and joy. Help us to learn, help us to grow.- Amen

PS - Because of the sacrifice of one of our team members, who waited at the airport, rented a car and drove over 2 hours on her own to the event venue, I received my luggage 5 minutes before I had to step on stage. Five minutes was more than enough time to throw on a new outfit, some lipstick and do a little praise dance!! It was worth the wait!

I'm a pretty chill person most of the time, so when I slip into hyper slow mode, to the untrained eye, most people would have no clue that I am struggling. In fact, the changes can be so subtle, that even I don't know.

I have some deadlines from various places coming up and I have been on the road for some trips, some of which were expected and some that were not. These little events in my life start stacking up and before I know it, it turns into crunch time.

When I am stressed, instead of running around like a chicken with my head cut off, I tend to procrastinate and fall prey to distractions, still unaware of what is going on until........

BOOM, my body starts screaming out "I'M STRESSED, HELP ME!" The screams come in the form of hives. Yep, because apparently it's the only way I will listen.

So here I am a few days before an event with ugly blotches on my arms.

But, here I am. Here I am ready to listen, ready to take a look at my priorities and focus on what is important, ready to be accountable, ready to press into God's strength and NOT my own.

Here I am...ready to fix my eyes on Jesus the author and perfecter of my faith. 

Here I am, ready to Breath.

How do you handle stress? Do you recognize it quickly or do you need to get hit by a bus (figuratively) before you stop and re-evaluate.

What really helped me this time was sitting down with my husband and simply writing down all the deadlines and things I needed to get done. And you know what, it's not as bad as I thought. I saw more clearly those things that I could let go and those things that were important and now, I'm off to get 'er done (and go hiking)!

​Peace out friends! Don't forget to breath!
​Mia