How to Draw Nearer to God this Lenten Season

Most of us are really busy. I'm retired and I'm still really busy. We have our daily schedules, our agendas, our plans and our projects. We like our routines, our meals and our lifestyles. These give us a kind of comfort and stability in this topsy turvy world we live in. How often have you heard yourself say this:
"I don't have enough time to ......" You fill in the blank.

The Busyness of Life 
The stuff of life can keep us so busy and so stressed out, we rarely have time to do what Stephen Covey, author of numerous best selling books including "7 Habits of Highly Effective People", calls "Quadrant 2 Activities".

Quadrant 2 activities are those activities which are important but not urgent or pressing. Some of them include planning, prevention and improvement. It includes spiritual practices such as prayer, journaling, fasting, and meditation.  These habits are all crucial to our well-being, but none of them are critical or urgent. Therein lies the crux of the problem. We are addicted to the urgent and we neglect the important, as Stephen Covey says. 

Wake up calls 
Sadly, it is not until life gets uncomfortable and some crisis happens such as a sudden illness or a job loss, a breakup, or an epidemic, that stops us dead in our tracks. It is then - maybe -  that we say "Whoa, wait a minute. Maybe I need to slow down and rethink my priorities". 

When things get uncomfortable, scary, stressful, or painful, it is time to surrender, not resist. God uses everything in our lives to make us more like him and lead us into our destinies, which is - by the way - to be more like his Son, Jesus.

These times are wake-up calls of sorts. God is trying to get our attention. He may be leading us away from certain activities, jobs, situations, places, or people. He may be trying to get us to change our attitudes and behaviors. He may even want to send us help. 

God is always trying to get our attention onto what really matters. We may resist and rationalize. When God is calling us to let something or someone go, it is important to stay with the discomfort, even when it interrupts our busy lives and messes with our agendas. God has the plan. What we need to do is let go and surrender to it.

Go With the Flow

You've heard the phrase, I'm sure. But that is easier said than done when something difficult happens. We tend to fight it, escape it or look for ways to avoid dealing with it. Yet, none of these is helpful. When difficult situations present themselves, the best thing we can do is to surrender and accept instead of denying or fighting against it. Try to deal with whatever it is in a calm and focused manner. Stressing out and getting upset never helps anybody. This is when we need the help of the Holy Spirit to come to our aid. 

Personal Story 

So my elderly mom, who lived out of state, had a few falls last year. I tried to tell her she needed daily care, but she would have none of it. Then, it happened. In February, she fell and fractured her back. She called me as the EMS team was taking her to the ER. Now, I could have freaked out, but praise God. I didn't. I said a quick prayer, stayed calm and collected and talked to her all the way to the hospital, thru the x-ray process, and back to her room, trying my best to keep myself and her calm. At least I was connected to her, even if I wasn't there physically. It is in times like these that a spiritual practice comes to our aid. 

When We Don't Understand
Life is full of mysteries. Why is my mom/son/husband/boyfriend acting like this? Why did I lose my job? Why did this happen to me? We don't always understand why things happen but we can trust that whatever it is is ultimately for our good and God's glory. When the questions whirl thru my mind like the swirling winds of March, my natural tendency is to try to figure it all out but the truth is....

We don't have to figure it out. That's our ego egging us on, stressing us out. We need not fret or worry. All we have to do is trust. Trust that God sees us. Trust that God has the answer even when we are at wits end and have tried everything. 

When we don't know what to do next, it is time to wait on God. Let go and let God as they say in recovery groups. When we don't know what to do next, like Samuel said when he heard the voice of God, we need to let God know he has our attention, "Speak, Lord, your servant is listening", then listen and wait. The answer is always the same.

Come a little closer. Let that go. Trust me. 

Scripture says this: "Draw near to God and he will draw near to you." (James 4:8). I often think that God allows these situations to draw us closer to him. I know I have a tendency to drift. How about you?

For Reflection 
What is it that God is working on and in you today? What is he calling you to let go of or to embrace? Are you willing to listen? To surrender? To obey? Jesus is calling you to come a little closer this season. Perhaps, like me, you sometimes get too caught up in the busyness of doing that you fail to hear the still soft voice of Jesus that beckons us to sit at his feet, just like Mary of Bethany.  

Close your eyes and listen to this song by Dierks Bentley. Jesus is saying the same thing to us.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rVGw7FbohY4&feature=kp

If you enjoyed this post and would like to join our blog community, enter your email address in the box provided. You'll receive my weekly posts to encourage, inspire and motivate you.  I'll also send you a copy of my free e-book entitled "How to Develop a Spiritual Practice" for yourself and to share with a friend.

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Stay tuned for more on the purpose of Lent and until next time, come a little closer!

Ariel Paz

How to Be Free From Your To Do List

Are you a list maker? Do you pride yourself on how many items you can check off on a daily basis? Do you often feel like you'll never get caught up or get it all done? I am and I do and this week I had a revelation that set me free from my to do list once and for all and I want to share it with you so we can live with more joy and less stress.

First, let's agree there is nothing inherently bad about to do lists. In fact, they can be quite helpful in keeping us focused on the many tasks we have on our plates. They can help us remember things and assist in prioritizing what needs to get done. However, to do lists can also put us in a form of mental bondage and cause us to be more stressed than we need be.

The pressure of looking at so many to dos and the constant crossing off and adding more is unhealthy. I know because I have been in bondage to my to do list since I was first married, then divorced and a single mom, and now flying solo. As a single parent raising two sons, it was imperative I be organized and efficient and my to do list helped me survive those years but now things are different. This week, I had a revelation. Now this might be obvious to some of you, but to me it was liberating.

No matter what our circumstances are in life, we can change the way we think about our to do lists. Instead of them hanging over our heads like a dark cloud, we can do these three things:

1. Let go of the guilt and pressure.
"Being caught up" is a harsh task master who fills us with guilt and condemnation. This inner voice keeps us on the to do treadmill. We are human "beings", not human "doings". We don't have to feel like we need to be "caught up" because the reality is, we never will be.

What we need is a mindset change. A reframing if you will.  Let go of the pressure and stop listening to that voice that clamors "You need to do this, this, and this today. You need to take control." Some things are not our responsibility and out of our control. Don't take on other people's stuff. We can take the pressure off by doing the most important things first thing in the day, and then whatever else gets done is icing on the cake! It's called "being in the flow". 

Of course, we do need to listen to the voice that says "You need to get organized" "you need to exercise" "you need to get your finances in order". We have to discern which is the voice of false guilt and which is the voice of conviction, but that is a topic for another day. 

2. Realize there will always be things to do.
The truth is there will always be something to do until the day we die because life keeps moving. Things change. The house needs repair. The car needs attention. We want to lose weight. As I tell my mom, "That's life". The sooner we realize that this is the reality of life, the better we will be able to cope with daily challenges. If we think life should be a smooth ride all the time we will be in for a rude awakening when something unexpected happens. 

Now we do have to keep up with our responsibilities but I'm talking about the frame of mind we have while taking care of those responsibilities. If we want to live less stressed and more at peace, we can change the way we think about our to do's.

3. Let go of perfectionism. 
We don't have to have everything taken care of and neatly under control. I've learned that much of the pressure I put on myself comes from a place of perfectionism which stems back to my upbringing and being a first-born child in an alcoholic home. First borns are typically the more responsible child and take on way too much. Everything does not have to be done today nor does it have to be done at a frenetic pace. Nor does it have to be perfect. As a counselor once told me, you don't always have to bring your "A" game. And neither do you!

I feel relieved just writing this post today. I believe I have turned a corner and hope this post will help you turn that corner as well. We can be productive responsible adults and still enjoy each day with peace and harmony.

I hope this post has encouraged you and if you'd like to receive my weekly posts enter your email in the box provided. You'll always receive a copy of my free eguide "7 Steps to Finding Your Spiritual Path" for yourself or to pass on to a friend. Do pop on over to Pinterest and check out my pins on a variety of subjects including delicious recipes, fitness and exercise, faith, mindfulness, relationships and much more. https://www.pinterest.com/arielpaz/pins/

Stay tuned for next month's topic which is learning to surrender more and control less. Ignite the power within and discover YOUR destiny!

Keep looking up!

Ariel Paz

Managing the Busyness of Life

Life is busy, isn't it? We have a list of things to do a mile long and we run from one thing to the next trying to get it all done. Seems someone always wants our attention: our family, our boss, the spouse, friends. All this busyness can lead to anxiety, stress, fatigue and a host of other symptoms. Often we are not even aware of the stress load we are carrying and we ignore the signals our body sends us. Today, I am sharing on the importance of managing busyness and how to recognize when we are too busy. 

As a single mom, I had it all on my shoulders: the house, the job, the car, the kids, the yard, the housework, the bills, nightschool....I could go on. I learned that I had to make time not only for myself but also time with God if I wanted to have the energy and the wisdom to get it all done and make the right decisions on how to do it. People would ask "Where do you get all your energy?" I know it was from spending time with God.

Don't make excuses 
Now you might say "I don't have time to :
a) exercise
b) clean my house
c) spend time with God 
d) go to church or wherever 

Friend, I say this in love, if you don't have time for God or for the basics like keeping your house clean - you are too busy. What you are basically doing is prioritizing everything else ahead of the basic fundamentals of life which I talk about in my e-book "Streamline Your Life: 5 Fundamentals to creating a balanced and joyful life". If we don't manage the basics, we are building a faulty foundation and eventually any life built on a faulty foundation will collapse. 

How to Make Good Decisions It is especially important to make time for your spiritual development. Without the wisdom of God, you will make more mistakes - in your finances, in your relationships, and in your decisions. I know because I've done it. 

God is the source of true wisdom and when we don't care to find out what he thinks about stuff, when we think we know it all and don't need to run it by God, we set ourselves up for another big mistake. This is pride in all its fallen glory. And you know what they say about pride going before a fall!

Make time for God 
So what do I mean by "making time for God'? The mind and the body were not built to handle so much activity on a daily basis. We need regular periods of rest, relaxation, and solitude. I don't mean go to the gym or exercise, I mean get alone, go for a walk in nature, meditate, read sacred literature, do something slow and contemplative. 

We need to let the dust settle, so to speak. We give God a phone line to speak to us through.  When we keep our minds and bodies constantly on the go, we block the flow of communication. Otherwise, God says "Oh, the line is busy again." Just like any healthy human relationship, we need to make time for  a relationship with God. Good relationships need time and regular communication.

Learn from Jesus
Stress is nothing new to society. People in Jesus' time had stresses of their own. They had no modern medicine or conveniences like we have today, and were, for the most part, poor and uneducated. They had to walk everywhere and thousands clamored for Jesus time and attention. Ever feel that way?

So when things got hectic and the crowds and activity got to be too much, what did Jesus do? He went away to be quiet and spend time with the Father - in solitude, prayer, and meditation. And that is exactly how I am suggesting we manage our busyness as well. I know it sounds counter productive, but it works. No matter how much is on your plate, make time to get off the fast-track and get quiet. You will be surprised at the clarity you will get and you will be more productive in the long run. 

Reflection
How often you do make time alone and get quiet? Do you make it a priority? How has it helped you maintain your stress levels? Send a comment and share your thoughts. I'd love to hear from you and if you enjoyed this article, do sign up for my weekly posts by entering your email address in the box provided. You'll also receive a copy of my free eguide "7 Steps to Finding Your Spiritual Path" .

In the meantime, stay tuned for more positive and practical wisdom on finding healing, wholeness, and harmony so you, too, can ignite the power within and discover YOUR destiny!

Keep looking up!

Ariel Paz 

Getting Ready for a New Season

Hello, friends. 

I hope you are having a lovely summer and getting some well-deserved down-time. I know I am. Today I want to reach out and get some feedback from you so we can "hit the ground running" in September. What topics do you most enjoy reading about from me? The topics I write on run the gamut from motivation and tranformation, to health and healing, to faith and spirituality, to relationships and communication.  Send me the top three topics you are interested in. I have received feedback from a few of you, but would like to hear from the rest of you. You can comment on this post or drop me an email at arielpaz08@gmail.com. 

As you know, I post once a week to give you plenty of time to read the post, digest it and give us all feedback! 

As we head into fall and leave the lazy days of summer behind us, I'll be sharing on how to manage the upcoming frenzy of fall activity and how to stay grounded and at peace.  Every season is an opportunity for changing our ways, and making our lives more stress-free, enjoyable and fulfilling as we pursue the opportunities presented to us. 

Stay tuned for my fall series and as always, 

Keep looking up!


Ariel Paz 

How to Detach From the Pull of Busyness

We live in an activity-driven, productivity-based world. The emphasis is on more - do more, make more, have more. This is all supposed to be a sign of "success" and make us happy, but does it really? The more we push ourselves, the less fulfilled we feel and the more stressed we become. We run faster and faster like rats on a wheel going nowhere. So today I'm sharing on the 3 keys to detaching from busyness.

1. Realize the fear that drives you.
Often we push ourselves due to fear - a lack of trust that things will work out without our having to kill ourselves in the process. We fear we won't have enough saved for retirement. We won't have enough to make a down payment on a house. We won't have enough.....to ..... You fill in the blanks. This is what is called a scarcity mentality which is based on fear. When we realize that we are in the loving, caring hands of God, we won't allow fear to drive us. Yes, we do what is necessary and responsible but we do it with faith that God is the ultimate source of all we have.

2. Unlearn the reactive response. 
We all have a lot to do. There will always be stuff to do. It is how we go about the doing that is key. When things get really hectic, that is precisely the time to take a step back and slow down. It seems counter-intuitive yet it works. Tune out the raging inner taskmaster that screams "What are you going to do?"  In the same way many of us learned to be anxious, worried, hurried, and stressed, we can learn to slow down, relax, and trust. Slowing down is possible despite the tug of the world.

3. Make time to be still.  
We can let go of all our worries and cares when we learn to trust and to have Faith. Jesus said,  "Come to me all who are heavy-laden and I will give you rest." We were not made to wear ourselves out physically, mentally, or emotionally. Jesus never rushed or hurried. He never let harsh comments ruffle him. He always made time for solitude. We would do well to model his example.

What does it mean to be still? It means to make time for solitude, prayer and meditation. It may even mean fasting for a while so we can focus less on the things of this world and more on what the will of God is. Turn off the television, the computer and the phone.  Get quiet and listen.

So, the next time you feel like you are losing the rat race, I encourage you to make time to get off the wheel and be still. Go for a walk, work in your garden, meditate. You will be amazed at how refreshed you will feel.

If you enjoyed this post and would like to join our community, enter your email address in the box provided. You'll receive my bi-weekly posts and a copy of my free e-guide entitled "7 Steps to Finding Your Spiritual Path". 

Stay tuned for more on how to ignite the power within and discover YOUR destiny!

Until next time, do less and and trust more.

Ariel Paz

Holiday Busyness

It is November and the holidays are fast approaching. Planning the Thanksgiving menu, Xmas gift list, and deciding on which activities to say yes or no to. I am starting to feel that pressure; you know the "too much to do" pressure. I know I am not alone in this and I am determined to not let it get to me this year.

Which means, some things have to change. But first, and more importantly is understanding where this feeling is coming from. Is it perhaps from some fear of "doing everything right" which is closely related to that P word - perfectionism? I wonder. I don't consider myself a perfectionist but I do like to do the best I can at whatever I do. Is this a problem? Perhaps.

When I start to have too many things on my mind so that I feel stressed and pressured, maybe I need to ask myself that question "What would Jesus do?" Would He want me feeling stressed and pressured by a never ending To Do List? I think not. Jesus came to save us from ourselves and our constant feelings on inadequacy by showing us how much He loves us by dying on the cross, right?

There is nothing I can do to be more loved by Him or anyone else for that matter. I think my sons would rather have a healthy calm mom and fewer presents under the tree, than a mother who gets stressed out, don't you think? Of course, I am not minimizing the fact that there is a lot more to do around the holidays and the brunt of the work does fall on the woman of the house, but being the woman, I need to take charge of what I do and don't do. And replace the pressure I feel with a sense of peace and serenity, knowing and trusting that God will work everything out just as it is supposed to be.

Next time, I'll talk about what I am going to change this season and share practical tips on what to do to avoid holiday stress. Until then, keep calm and keep looking up!