Hello friends! I have used the phrase “Area of Concern/Area of Control” in a few of my posts in the past and it is weighing heavy on my heart and mind again. Understanding the phrase has helped me navigate through some troubled waters. I honestly try to be intentional in applying the phrase into my daily life. As I look at my life, my friends, my social network and my professional life there are so many things that are heavy on my heart that create great concern for me and some of them are completely out of my area of control. For those things out of my control I try to evaluate the situation and it’s direct effect upon my life and asking God to help me through prayer and contemplation. I am not always successful in letting go of the things outside of my control, I have to pray about them and ask God to help me let go. A lesson I continue to learn is that not everyone thinks like me or acts like me, or sees things like me, it’s not my “standard” that others must live by or up to. I am very passionate about my professional life, I can be rigid at times, not out of malice but determination to do a job well and complete. Luckily, I work with a great group of individuals who like me in spite of my challenges and have actually helped me see just how ridiculous I can be at times. I love what I do and I strive for excellence, I learned that perfection is nice to think about but impossible to achieve. I like it when my coworkers and I shine together, I’m successful because of my coworkers and their support, that’s what teamwork is all about. I actually learned about area of control/area of concern from a coworker, I am grateful for the lesson and it has brought me much peace and a greater understanding of the world; my world and the world of others. That’s a sentence with a lot of depth; I simply mean we all perceive the world around us from our own perspective based upon our own experiences and we should pause and remember that, whenever we are faced with difficulties or questions about our causes for concern and control. Take the environment for example, I care about the world that God created for us and treating it with kindness for longevity, I don’t litter, and whenever possible I try to keep my “space” tidy and clean. I often pick trash up in parking lots and discard it properly. Most especially at this time of year when the trees and bushes are bare, it saddens my heart when I see so much trash on our ride sides. One of my favorite things to do especially in the warm summer months is to drive in the country with the window down and take in the beauty of nature that God created for us. It is very disturbing to see that some people use these lonely country roads as their personal trash dumping sites. Some might say we need more laws, stiffer penalties for such actions. It is not laws we need, we need people to be responsible! I am not saying laws are unimportant or needless, we do need laws and guidelines but if people refuse to follow them, making new rules will not ensure obedience. Of all the laws that are currently on the books for drugs and alcohol can you say with any confidence they are working to prevent or stop the illegal use of either of these( ?). Our society lacks basic respect for others and ourselves when we choose to do things that are morally wrong, not to mention lawfully wrong. I wish for more compassion, greater understanding, truth, sincere remorse, common respect and inclusion to mention a few. The things I do, will not cause national recognition and that’s not what I’m trying to gain. I love this quote by Mother Teresa and I just recently saw it posted on Twitter and FB, “Not all of us can do great things. But we can all do small things with great love.” That statement is so very profound, and TRUE! We are all created by God with purpose, your purpose may lead you to national recognition to shred light on an issue you feel called to defend or protect, while others are called to change the minds of people simply through once experience to the next. My hope is that we see in each other qualities that build lives and not tear them down. We are all the same in the inside, we bleed the same. Our hearts break the same. We are all born, flesh and blood, we have mom’s and dads, dreams and hopes for the future. For you to win, others do not need to fail. We do not need to put others down in order to rise…we can all rise and live into the person we were created to be by God, the Creator of all things!
Below is from Brave Girls Club:
a little bird told me ❤ your daily message from the Brave Girls Club
Your daily truth from Brave Living…
Dear Valuable Soul,
You know you are just as valuable as everyone else, don’t you dear soul? Surely you know that everything good and true and beautiful is meant for you, just as it is meant for every other person that we share this world with.
You know that you are important and valuable, right?
If not, beautiful friend….how could it ever be true that it is not for you….how could there ever be some whom love and kindness and goodness are meant for, and others that it is not meant for?
Things happen that bend and break parts of us….and sometimes lies creep into those cracks and holes.
If there is anything that ever made you think for a moment that you are not just as worthy, just as valuable and just as important as anyone else…..please understand that this is just a worn out old story that simply is not true.
Let the light back in, let the love back in. You can heal.
You are so valuable, irreplaceable and loved.
xoxo
“For in Him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through Him and for Him. ~Colossians 1:16 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage?search=Colossians%201:16&version=NIV
~Blessings and Peace~
HOPE SEEKER 
👍😘
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