A present help in times of trouble

Psalm 46
God is our refuge and strength,
    an ever-present help in trouble.

Help us, O Lord!

I cannot express my dismay with the election results from last night; I have never felt this way and this strongly about any other election in my lifetime.

Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way
    and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,
³ though its waters roar and foam    and the mountains quake with their surging.


Sounds alot like Hurricane Sandy, doesn't it? It also sounds alot like how my heart feels; how can so many people be so stupid, ignorant and selfish?? I just don't get it!!

There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,
    the holy place where the Most High dwells.
⁵ God is within her, she will not fall;
    God will help her at break of day.

A river. Hrm, what is that river? Is it the Holy Spirit? "Peace like a river" runs through my mind...

⁶ Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall;
    he lifts his voice, the earth melts.

Maybe the one that is stupid, ignorant and selfish is me? I feel like our nation is in an uproar. I feel like our 'kingdom' has fallen! Like the wicked witch from the Wizard of Oz, I feel like screaming, "I'm melting!! Melting!!"

The Lord Almighty is with us;
    the God of Jacob is our fortress.

If I'm going to be true to my therapeutic self, I have to admit that my feelings are not what drives me unless I allow them to; the facts should be my guide and the basis for my faith...in both God and our country. The fact is that God is still God and He is still in control. I may not understand what he is doing nor why He is doing it, but I know that there is a reason.

Come and see what the Lord has done,
    the desolations he has brought on the earth.
⁹ He makes wars cease
    to the ends of the earth.
He breaks the bow and shatters the spear;
    he burns the shields^[d] with fire.

Instead of asking "Why?", I will do as I direct my clients: Ask myself instead, "How does this relate to my life and what I'm going through" and "How does this relate to my continued recovery from issues and my relationship with God and others?"

Like I posted the other day:

And acceptance is the answer to all my problems today. When I am disturbed, it is because I find some person, place, thing or situation -- some fact of my life -- unacceptable to me, and I can find no serenity until I accept that person, place, thing or situation as being exactly the way it is supposed to be at this moment. Nothing, absolutely nothing happens in God's world by mistake. Until I could accept my alcoholism, I could not stay sober; unless I accept life completely on life's terms, I cannot be happy. I need to concentrate not so much on what needs to be changed in the world as on what needs to be changed in me and in my attitudes.

For me, serenity began when I learned to distinguish between those things that I could change and those I could not. When I admitted that there were people, places, things, and situations over which I was totally powerless, those things began to lose their power over me. I learned that everyone has the right to make their own mistakes, and learn from them, without my interference, judgement, or assistance!

AA Big Book page 417

He says, “Be still, and know that I am God;
    I will be exalted among the nations,
    I will be exalted in the earth.”

Lord, help me to accept the things that I cannot change and not to complain because I can't. Thanks.
The Lord Almighty is with us;    the God of Jacob is our fortress.

Giving Thanks when you aren't appreciated

Give thanks to the Lord; for He is good. Psalm 118:29

Thank
Him
Alone,
Never-ending
King and
Savior

I found this quote this morning while googling "Give Thanks". I was looking for an inspirational quote to go on my door at work. Sometimes at work we need a good word; a small guesture that someone appreciates what we do.

Working at a mental health center can be challenging; we deal with all sorts of problems, and some even come from the clients! The hardest thing for me is to keep a positive attitude while dealing with co-workers who are less than positive or act more unhealthy than the clients we serve. I have come to expect challenges with clients; they just need someone to help them and they recognize that fact. Some co-workers, however, have no idea that they need to learn from what we teach our clients. The hard part, like Step One from AA, is admitting that we have a problem. I am admitting that my problem is dealing with folks who are supposed to be professionals and who blatantly continue in negative behaviors even when they are pointed out. It drives me nuts!!

Negative behaviors and thought patterns come in all shapes and sizes:
Narcissistic people who think the world revolves around them....and their clothes or makeup;
Histrionic people who love drama and will create it when it does not exist;
Borderline people who love you one minute and hate you the next.

You can probably tell that I've been reading Emotional Vampires again. I really love that book and how it tells you to deal with difficult people. But my main question now is, What do I do when it happens that the vampire is me?

I find myself being narcissistic at times, I find myself being histrionic at times and heaven help us when I'm being borderline!! My poor co-workers sure have to put up with alot in dealing with me!

The one thing that I have noticed about myself is that when I find that I'm bothered by someone else's behavior or actions, I need to look at myself. And then I need to admit that I am the problem! I can't control anyone other than myself; others have the right to act anyway they chose and so do I. It is up to me to choose how I am going to act and speak....even during difficult times.

In these difficult financial times, many of us are finding it hard to make ends meet. Everything costs more. It seems that we are making less even when our paycheck hasn't changed. The danger here is to begin to feel overworked and under-appreciated. When those feelings begin to seep in, our behaviors and speech can either reinforce the negative thoughts or we can choose to "Give thanks unto the Lord, for He is good!" It is easy for us to blame others for our reactions and attitudes but do we really listen to God when He tells us to rejoice and thank Him just because He is good?

Another nugget from the AA Big Book:

And acceptance is the answer to all my problems today. When I am disturbed, it is because I find some person, place, thing or situation -- some fact of my life -- unacceptable to me, and I can find no serenity until I accept that person, place, thing or situation as being exactly the way it is supposed to be at this moment. Nothing, absolutely nothing happens in God's world by mistake. Until I could accept my alcoholism, I could not stay sober; unless I accept life completely on life's terms, I cannot be happy. I need to concentrate not so much on what needs to be changed in the world as on what needs to be changed in me and in my attitudes.

Changing our attitude to match up with gratitude is the answer for then we can accept that nothing, and I mean NOTHING, can happen in God's world without his knowledge and forebearance.

Lord, help me to accept myself and the others around me. Help me to look inside myself and find gratitude for You and Your goodness when I am disturbed. Help me to help others by helping myself stay in touch with You and Your words. In Christ's name, Amen!