To Stay At Peace In Tricky Times, Remember To Sprinkle, Love, And Shine

1 Peter 3:9,11,13-15
Don’t return evil for evil, or insult for insult, but giving a blessing instead; for you were called for the very purpose that you might inherit a blessing.  And let him turn away from evil and do good; Let him seek peace and pursue it. And who is there to harm you if you prove zealous for what is good? And do not fear their intimidation, and do not be troubled…always [being] ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence.

     At the end of the day, everything boils down to love. In the Bible it says, “the whole Law is fulfilled in one word, in the [statement], "You shall love your neighbor as yourself " (Galatians 5:14). But God knows that there will be times when you don’t feel particularly loving because of tricky situations in your life and so He gives you four strategies to keep in mind.  First, stay off the “Yucky Circle.”  The Yucky Circle is another name for the downward spiral that negative conversations take which leaves both people feeling worse. How it works is: one person says something mean, or unhelpful, and then the other person reacts badly and says something equally unkind.  Then the first person comes back with an even greater insult, and before you know it, both people either get in a fight, or walk off the field taking their ball and bat with them.  The trick to getting off or simply avoiding the Yucky Circle, is to consciously give each person you are in contact with, no matter how “evil,” a “blessing.” That means, say something nice or helpful.   Don’t buy into other people’s negativity or grumbliness.   Sprinkle a good word and move!  God is huge on not getting on the Yucky Circle, which is why He warns, “If you bite and devour one another, take care lest you be consumed by one another” (Galatians 5:15). And remember:  the Yucky Circle isn’t just about the insults.  It can be the “Complaining” or “Woe is me” Yucky Circle, where everyone talks about how bad everything and everyone is. That only makes you feel worse. So, if you find yourself there, just apply the same strategy:  say something good, sprinkle and move!   The second strategy for keeping yourself at peace in tough times and at all times, is to keep your behavior exemplary, or really, really good.  That way, no one can truly say anything bad about you as “you prove zealous for what is good” (1 Peter 3:13). The third strategy is to keep love in your heart at all times.  Even when you are dealing with tricky times and trickier people, when you remember to reflect God’s love, it will soften your spirit which will help you to deal more effectively and to talk in a way that will be more productive for any situation.  And finally, “always be ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence”(1 Peter 3:15). This strategy is important to God because this is where you get a chance to explain why you are letting your light shine and where you got those great strategies. And as you get to share the reason why you act as you do and are so hopeful even in the trickiest of times, people will want to have God in their lives too! As you dwell on the goodness in your life and share that with others, you will feel happier, which is what God wanted all along.

Click the link below to see my books,
"Keeping Your Lamp Lit"
http://www.amazon.com/Keeping-Your-Lamp-Lit-Schuler/dp/1451559321/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1277386999&sr=1-1#noop
"Good Strategies for Bad Times"
http://www.amazon.com/Good-Strategies-Bad-Times-Schuler/dp/1438257775/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1265471485&sr=8-1