He will quiet you with His love.  Zephaniah 3:17

     If we focused on this one phrase of Scripture for a while and really took it into our hearts and minds, how much we would be helped! God’s love has the ability to “quiet” us. And there are times when we really need it!

     I have a young husband who comes to see me sometimes, because he struggles with angry reactions. He has good reason! Everyone in his family of origin has strong emotional reactions to everything! He has been trained to explode when things don’t go his way. I love this guy, though, because he really wants to stop the chain of hand-me-down dysfunction. Not long ago, though, he was deeply hurt by his family in a dispute about inheritance, and he struggled to forgive. Not only that, it took weeks to get his attitude back in shape. After doing the forgiveness work, which he really struggled to do, here are four things that could help him recover his “quiet”:

• Claim Responsibilities, Not Rights – Discontent people fight for their rights. He had the right to be angry at his family, but it was affecting his marriage. He has a responsibility to his wife to choose a better outlook. Are you going to spend your time and energy on what should have been, or are you going to focus on what can be?  Stop worrying about your rights, and focus on what you can control.
• Associate with Positive People – This young man, for several weeks, isolated himself from people who loved him. It was hard for him to believe that anyone was on his side in life. He finally started spending time with people who weren’t involved in the drama. When you spend time with positive people, you help yourself to see things in a better light. 
• Make the Present Moment Your Happiest – It didn’t help him to continue to rehearse all the ways that he had been wronged and betrayed. He was dragging that pain around with him and carrying it into the next day. Finally I told him he would have to choose to see what was in front of him right then. If you can’t be happy today, when will you be happy? Today is what you have.
• Find Ways to Relieve Stress – This young husband decided that he and his wife had to choose to do fun things, even when he didn’t feel like it. It worked! Do something active or something that requires mental concentration, something that relaxes you. 

*Been in a funk lately? Choose one of these four things and begin to recover your “quiet.” Remember God’s love is still there, regardless of what others may do.

God, help me remember that Your love is constant. I may be deeply hurt by others, but I can get my “quiet” back by focusing on You…that You see me and know my hurt, and You will continue to work good things into my life. Your love is not dampened by others being unlovely. Because of Calvary I pray, Amen.


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