Shalom

Shalom = Peace.  What is it like to be totally peaceful?  I have no idea.  My life is constantly going a million miles per hour.  At the end of the day, all I want to do is feel this incredible peace... let's be honest.  That only happens a handful of times.  Have you ever wondered why our generation is so go-go-go?  I can't imagine a life where I just sit around doing nothing, worrying about nothing and just taking it easy.

Life. Is. Crazy.

I realized today that people actually care about other people.  (Ok, pretty dumb realization, but that's what happened today).  Someone that I do not know spent an hour giving me advice and suggestions on how to run my business.  I WAS SO PUMPED!  How can we not be peaceful when people really do care and want to help us out?  I guess this is just another thing that we need to learn as a society.  I need to learn it for sure.  I always think I'm insignificant, but then God knocks at my heart and says, "Um, excuse me.  I did not make an insignificant being.  I never do.  You are significant."  (Sometimes He needs to remind me of that a lot. :) )

Mother Teresa said, "A smile is the beginning of peace".  Maybe all we need to do is just start smiling throughout the day.  Even to people we don't like.... smile at them.  Even when we do not feel like smiling.  Just smile!  I have a feeling that peace starts with one's attitude.  If you make a conscious effort to have a positive attitude, then you will be peaceful.  One of my professors passed out rubber bands to us in class the other day.  He said that the purpose of them is to snap ourselves when we catch ourselves having a bad attitude.  Let me tell you, that day when I wore the rubber band, my wrist was so red because I was snapping myself so much.  It put things into perspective for me.  I wasn't peaceful because I let myself go in my bad attitude.  And of course, one can only be truly peaceful when they have the love of Christ in them.  I can't even imagine what my life would be like without God, when it's this much of a struggle to be peaceful everyday with Him to remind me to calm down.

So my friends, be peaceful.  Rest.  Smile.  Enjoy the day.  Laugh a lot.  Life will be so much more fun and enjoyable when you learn to laugh at everything (including yourself).

Click here to start smiling :)

Shalom. Love. Joy.