Lately - and this happens all too frequently - I've been, well, upset. Unhappy. Dwelling upon injuries real and imagined. And I was so wrapped up in feeling bad, I withdrew....from God, from prayer, from my church, even from my family. 

That's smart. (NOT.)

And then, someone posted something on FB about a possible stock market "correction," read "disaster/end of the world as we know it," anyway, a potentially HUGE drop in the stock market (up to 90% - gah!) that is sure to happen because of XYZ reasons. 

Well. Take my sourpuss, isolated self, mix in a good dose of paranoid fear, and you get....misery.

Thankfully, the Lord hears my prayers, even when they're skewed or ridiculous or whatever. He allows me to slowly dig my own pathetic hole of fear/worry/anger/depression until finally, I realize how sad and lonely I am...and how it takes just one thing to turn this all around: ME. It takes me, repenting of living in fear and not trusting the Lord; me, realizing that hiding away from people is just sad; me, turning back to Him to say, "I'm sorry. I pushed you away. I chose to live in fear/worry/anger/depression instead of in Your light."

And He is gracious to forgive, every time. And He broke the chains I had put upon myself - the deceptive chains of depression, anger, worry, and fear - and instead he filled me up with His peace, which is otherworldly and inexplicable. 

Are there things coming that will be hard to take? 

Yes.

Do I know what these are? 

Probably not. But even if I did, would knowing in advance forestall any of it? NO! So: best to live in the moment, in the eternal Now. 

I choose Peace. I choose Him. I choose to live in God's Light, and not in the devil's fear. I choose to release anger and breathe in love, breathe out forgiveness.