Smile, the pearl is coming

You're having a wonderful day, cruising along and bam...something hits you from your blindside.  I am not talking just about life or death issues, but something that smacks you on the back of the head and alters your mood, steals your joy and makes it hard to keep your cool under the pressure.

The toilet in your master bath breaks, the store closes before you can get all the parts you need to fix it, you drive around town looking for what you need and you come up empty.  The septic system backs up, smelling up your entire home.  The dog pees on your just cleaned carpet.  Your husband has to take your car to work.  These are the things that can push you over the edge.  Ok, well, maybe they just push me over the edge!

How do you deal with these? How do you live life to the fullest when you feel like you are constantly ducking the arrows of circumstances that you are tired of fighting?  You can cry, hide, yell, scream, throw a tantrum and pitch a major fit.

OR...you can SMILE.

S - Stop
M - Make a mental note of what is specifically upsetting you
I - Insert God into your atmosphere
L - Listen to what He has to say about your circumstance
E - Enjoy the peace that follows from speaking with Him

S - M - I - L - E

That is how you keep your cool.  That is how you live this crazy thing called life.  That is how you learn that the small irritations of today, well, they really are just that - an irritant.  But what happens when a small grain of sand irritates an oyster - a pearl is formed.  So in the middle of your frustration and irritation, ask Him what pearl He is trying to create.  I guarantee it will change your outlook and your attitude.  And your face will really SMILE! And others will see it and wonder why you are always smiling.