Fear and Faith

Well, it’s been a week since the 2016 elections, and what a week! Even Oprah got clobbered when she suggested that everyone take a breath amidst it all!

If you were a Trump supporter and a Republican, you’ve been cheering about the victory, and are looking toward the future with hope. If you had your heart set on a Clinton win, you may be among the thousands of people who have been wringing their hands in fear, experiencing sleepless nights, or cheering more for the demonstrations that have taken place.

Admittedly, there is a liberty for demonstrations in this country; people are free to protest and express their displeasure, but it crosses over into something else when businesses are vandalized, buildings set on fire, and people’s lives are jeopardized on our highways. Then it just becomes a license to do whatever destruction we want.

In 1Peter 2:16 we are encouraged to live as free people, but that we are not to use that freedom as an excuse to do evil. Unfortunately, a lot of people on both sides of the campaign have done this these past days – but certainly not with the endorsement of their candidates.

Lets face it, fear makes people crazy. If we’re afraid of something, our imagination can run wild. We can very quickly envision the worst case scenario – escalating our fears til we’re out of control.

What our fear reveals to us though, is where we have placed our faith. If we have put our faith in Wall Street, we will be afraid when the market takes a dive. If we have put our faith in the government, or a specific candidate, we will be afraid when a program is cut, policy decisions are made, or the other candidate wins.

If we place our faith in anything that can alter or change, we will certainly live with fear.

There is only one way to look at this election, at our country, and at the stability of our own lives:  to see that we have a mighty, faithful God, whose authority is above every authority on earth, and in whose loving hands lies our destiny.

The people who know this have had hope and peace these past days as they have had in every election, whether the outcome was what they wanted or not.

There is only one unchanging, stable place to put our faith, and that is in a good God who loves us. Believe He is in control, and that this election was not a surprise to Him. Believe He loves this nation and hears the prayers of the people to bless America.

There is a plan for the next four years that doesn’t belong to any candidate, and no matter who got elected, it will be the purposes of God that prevail. 
 
Jesus said, ““Fear not. Only believe.”

Fear must not rule.

Faith must triumph.

Give peace a chance.

Kay
www.confidentconflict.com

Remembering On This Day

This Monday morning I am thinking of all of the men and women who have given their lives so that I can write this blog -- and live -- in freedom.

I am humbled by their sacrifice.

When I think of what they have done, I really don't know if I have that kind of courage myself, and I am in awe of the sacredness of their actions.

My prayers are for those who mourn today, those who will be honoring these lives of loved ones who have given this measure of devotion. I hope that a grateful nation doing the same will comfort them.

I am remembering too . . .

A hilltop at Arlington National Cemetery with the Air Force Memorial

Becoming Visible

When April comes, I always notice the Central Florida seabreezes and changing landscapes. There are some trees I see through my window, and in the winter (they are essentially wooden sticks) they get lost against the backdrop of the scenery around them. But when Springtime fills them with green leaves again, there is no mistaking their presence -- they become quite visible.

In business, there is an on-going conversation about visibility: letting people know you're out there, making your services clearly apparent to those who may be looking for them. Recently though, I read something that presented me with a different perspective: "The most important decisions of our lives will require us to forsake invisibility and risk becoming visible."

When I read that, my mind left the business world and I realized how true this statement is when we decide to make our voice heard.

We become visible when we speak up about something no one else is addressing, when we step forward to help someone no one else is helping, when we confront the way someone is mistreating us and express our desires.

These moments require us to stop hiding and be clearly seen.

Fully engaging in a relationship, especially in a conflict situation, means we must do this for ourselves -- we must become visible.  We are mistaken when we think the cloak of invisibility brings us comfort. The truth is, it's not comfort, it's isolation, and staying in that place brings with it all the pain isolation contains.

No matter how together we believe we are, we all have spheres where we seek to remain invisible. Today I am exhorting you to look at an area of your life where you are doing this -- to recognize what the cost has been to you -- and to make the decision to forsake invisibility.

Yes, it is a risk. Sometimes a great risk. Risking visibility means taking a chance.

But it is a chance on freedom -- and oh, what a prize!

Kay
P.S. Like my Facebook page and let me know your visibility thoughts!
 
Confident Conflict

Helping Women of Influence Powerfully Rule in Conflict 

and Positively Impact Their World
www.confidentconflict.com 

Start Where You Are

I haven't posted to this blog of mine in over two years. My life started taking several twists and turns, and, sadly, my blog fell off the radar.

One of the things that has taken my energy and resources is my conflict coaching practice. I've been attending seminars, doing speaking engagements, and networking. There's no shortage of voices with experienced business advice, and the task of finding what is a fit for me in moving ahead has been challenging.

Then I was reminded of the Arthur Ashe quote:
       "Start where you are, use what you have, do what you can,"
and I remembered my dear old blog. I realized that starting from where I am, and using what I have, meant picking up my virtual pen again and posting.

I didn't want to turn this blog into my business one though. This is the blog that I write for myself. Here, I relax about marketing strategies, or "how to increase your blog traffic" rules. I get to just think about things and write whatever I want about them.

So I've started a new blog, Stormbreaker Power (very conflict coaching related), and am joining the internet conflict resolution dialogue. However, despite all the time that has passed, I still wanted to post this update here . . .

Cuz this one ain't over yet!

'Looking forward to connecting the dots at SP too!

Kay
www.confidentconflict.com