Unexpected events are coming. They are part of life on this earth. Some are wonderful and some, not so much.
Since they are unexpected, it would seem like you can’t prepare for them, right?
Wrong! You can actually choose in advance what or how you are going to think when a crisis hits.
We don’t really need to prepare for the wonderful unexpected events — they are just delightful surprises — but those scary, anxiety-ridden ones that produce all kinds of fear and worry—those are the ones you want to be ready for.
Last week, my daughter went to her usual pregnancy check up at 28 weeks thinking all was well. She was immediately referred to a doctor in a bigger city and she went straight from that doctor’s office to the hospital after being told he was 99% sure she would be delivering the baby that evening. (Pre-eclampsia with great risk to mother and baby).
Talk about unexpected and unprepared! Life and the future became very uncertain in a hurry for all of us.
Thanks to the Great Physician and faithful prayer warriors, she was able to carry the baby to 29 weeks in the hospital. Our sweet Lucy Rose is holding her own in the NICU as I type and we are trusting and optimistic that she is going to be okay.
How can you prepare yourself for things that you don’t even know are going to happen? Like this:
Start cultivating a “default” thought for “such a time as this”—right now.
Over a year ago, I consciously and deliberately selected a thought that I could believe and gave me great comfort. My thought is:
“God is always orchestrating things in our favor”.
There is a sound Biblical basis for this thought (Romans 8:28) and, as I have repeated it and practiced believing it in various situations, I have never failed to find evidence that it is true.
In fact, you will always find evidence that whatever you’re thinking is true. If you haven’t carefully chosen your thinking and you are defaulting to something like, “This is terrible!”, you will find evidence that the situation is terrible. Trust me, I used to live like that!
On the other hand, my intentional thought has sustained me, calmed me, and strengthened my faith as I looked and found evidence for it in the midst of the storms of life. As I see for evidence of it, it creates feelings of comfort and gratitude — these beat dismay and fear hands down!
I may not know *how* things are working in my or my loved one’s favor at the time, but when I trust that they are—especially when things look the opposite, here comes that “peace that passes understanding”. Consciously looking for evidence of my thought as we move through the trial greatly reduces that tendency toward irrational fear, worry and worst case scenario thinking.
My thought enabled me to watch calmly as the water level in our house during Hurricane Harvey reached 19 inches. (I continue to this day to see ways God worked in our favor during and as a result of that trial.)
It has seen me through watching loved ones suffer and die, through seemingly insurmountable family difficulties, through floods—(yes, plural), and other trials large and small including this most recent unexpected event. It works. I will never be without my thought!
I encourage all my clients to choose a default thought now. If you wait for the trial, you are likely to doubt it. Practice using it in lesser trials. It strengthens with use. Feel free to use mine or come up with your own. Here are a few ideas to get you started:
- God doesn’t make mistakes.
- Everything is going to be okay. (I use this one a lot, too—it almost always is!)
- I am deeply loved.
- Worry serves no purpose. (Be anxious for nothing….)
- What you look for, you will find.
- God knew this was coming and He has my back. My job is just to trust.
May the Lord strengthen you as you deliberately and consciously choose thoughts of faith and trust. May you be ready for your next unexpected trial and blown away by His love for you in the midst of it!
xoxo,
Leisa
PS: SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT: In an effort to make my coaching program available to more of you, I will be offering small group coaching in 2018 in addition to my one on one coaching! Right now, while I learn the new tech and logistical challenges with a group format, I am offering these groups at a deep discount. If you have already had a mini session with me and are interested in the group option, just schedule another free mini HERE. (It’s been so fun to reconnect with some of you already!)
I am so excited to offer this small group option and if you want to go through this life-changing program at the lowest price it will ever be, you need to act now.
If you’ve never had a free mini session with me, well, why ever not?!!! Whether you go through my coaching program or not, grab yourself some free coaching HERE!! 😉