Tag: emotions

I Will Try Again Tomorrow

- dannalundstrom 1 Comment

Yea, it is the end of one of those hard days when you feel beaten, battered and bruised, sometimes literally. Your heart has been spun up and wrung out.  Emotions have swirled through your body like a tidal wave leaving you feeling washed out, weak and worn.  You have been fighting all day for this person, praying like the persistent widow for that situation, enduring physical pain necessary for healing, and filtering waves of grief and gratitude that amidst it all, curiously still co-mingle.

There is finally a lull of silence with the parting of the sun; your soul settles slightly, and you know you must choose to either concede or conquer the day’s chaos.  Then comes a gentle reminder that you aren’t in this alone.  He’s in the midst of your pain.  He is present with your people, and he is bigger than that situation.

At the end of days like this, I am so grateful that the Psalms are in the Bible.  Many days I am living them as sure as I am breathing; crying out for relief, reassurance, direction, strength and forgiveness.  Then, when the commotion begins to settle slightly I reach deep within to find despite it all gratitude, thanksgiving, worship, and redemption slowly start marching along to the beat of my broken heart.  I take a breath, and each one becomes a little deeper, a little deeper, and finally I enter a state of ailing rest, remembering that tomorrow, should she come, holds new mercies, strength, grace and fuel for the road ahead.

Today must be released to the past, and it is then when I hear the soft but resolute roar;

I will try again tomorrow!

And you friend must courageously commit also to engage again tomorrow with a fresh mind and hopeful heart!  You are loved.

Keep The Train On The Tracks

- dannalundstrom 2 Comments

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Keep the train on the tracks! Yesterday I was having a conversation with a wise, friend. I was seeking advice about an endeavor The Lord has blessed me with this fall. My friend said to me, “if you hear nothing else, hear me say this; you have to keep the train on the tracks.” Now, he was talking about staying on task, but those words have been ringing in my mind since yesterday afternoon. I went to bed hearing them, and I woke up hearing them. It is like a soft, resolute chorus that is on a continuous loop. Here is why friends; this is such a fundamental truth of life. In every part of my life, if I don’t “keep the train on the tracks” I am going to derail. My thoughts are a primary example because they can be like an out of control train headed for collision if I do not correct them quickly. My feelings work the same way. Thoughts are the ancestors of feelings, and I am susceptible to allowing the things I think to get me off track. When I do, it is a sure bet that my feelings are raging closely behind. Being a good mind manager is one of the hardest disciplines because it requires intention and diligence, but it is imperative to my stability. Relationships are also another area that this concept is so important. It is easy for me to let things go until they build up and all of a sudden a molehill has become a mountain. If I am caring for my relationships as I should be, the train should not get too far to the left or the right of the tracks before alarms sound that I need to make some corrections. Otherwise, derailment is inevitable. I could go on with examples because this principal is all encompassing, ranging from my nutrition to my quiet time. My prayer for me and you, friend, is that we remember to keep the train on the tracks whether it be our relationship, words, health or any number of life’s challenges. I am so quick to live my day from the poverty of my flesh instead of the power of my Father. Lord Jesus help us to remember today and every day that when we keep life between the lines of your word, the train will not derail without our permission.

Daily Prayer For Living Beyond Feelings

- dannalundstrom

joy

There are many substitutes for feeling good Father.  Positive feelings and “being happy” become states of entitlement where we begin to believe we should always abide.  Train us to remember that feelings are fluid and fallible, disqualifying them as credible sources of truth or qualified indicators for making decisions.   It is an eternal joy; which is not circumstantial;  that is sustaining Father because it originates from You.  Joy accentuates us in times of abundance and anchors us in seasons of affliction.  We draw joy and happiness from different wells Father.  That sometimes becomes confusing in a world betrayed by the deception of “happily ever after.”  The bible says the joy of The Lord is our strength, (Nehemiah 8:10).  Assist us in living free of the entanglement of feelings and emotions and strengthen us in persevering joy.  Amen.