Life Lessons—Sometimes Life REALLY Gets In The Way

by Bruce Brady @BDBrady007

Lately I’ve been feeling a lot of stress. This is nothing new to anyone who writes. But I mean a lot of stress.

Here is just a sampling:

• A honey-do list longer than Santa’s.
• Neighborhood problems that cause me concern for the safety of our residents, especially my wife.
• Two recall notices on my car.
• Trees that have grown so large their shade is killing my lawn. But the weeds love it.
• A hole in the bathroom wall screaming for attention.
• Four bedrooms, one hallway and one stairway that need carpets re-stretched.
• A sloped lot with extreme erosion issues and a budget that requires my doing all the work.
• A need to hand dig a trench and install a French Drain while nursing pulled back and chest muscles.
• Other health challenges that require extensive research and prayer.
• And just to make it interesting, I decided to write 50,000 words in 20 days.

But enough about me. What do you think of my situation?

Truthfully, we all face a great deal of stress in our daily lives. Some put on us by circumstance, some by our own agendas. And if you’re like me, most stress does not make for good writing.

So what can we do?

At times like this, I turn to God. Experience has taught me that following His lead results in an overwhelming sense of peace. Then comes a better understanding of my situation, followed by clear direction, which most often includes rearranging my priorities. Even eliminating some.

Tips to Conquer an Overloaded Schedule

1. Pray. If we don't start here, the rest is infinitely more difficult.

2. Spend time really thinking about what you need to do versus what you think you should do,

3. Enlist someone to help you decide what's best to cut and how to prioritize the list. 

4. Find an accountability partner to help you stay on track.

After prayerfully reassessing my priorities I've come up with a game plan. 

I need to make these changes:

• Make the honey-do list my top priority.
• Let God handle the neighborhood problems, and the safety of all concerned.
• Work as much as I can, when I can to remedy the yard challenges.
• Seek Godly counsel on how to best deal with my health concerns and allow others to join me in my prayer war.
• Drop the goal of writing 50,000 words in 20 days.

When life gets in our way, we need to step back, take a fresh look at our to-do list and decide what’s most important. Some things may take more time than we planned, and some things must wait. Most importantly, God, health and family must be top priorities if we hope to have peace and productivity.

As to my stress, God pointed out that my troubles began when I set my own agenda without first consulting Him. But He’s given me grace and an inner tranquility that doesn’t make sense—and I’m loving it. The Lord has assured me He will take care of the things I can’t change. And He will help me with those I can, as long as I start each day in conversation with Him, waiting for His direction.

In fact, this post is a good example of His showing me what to do and when to do it. The thought of meeting with my critique group today without a submission pressured me to cry out to Him. You’re reading the result.

What stresses are you facing now? How are you handling them? Be sure to share your thoughts in the comments section below.

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Life stress adds to #writing stress - tips to cope when life gets in the way - via @BruceDBrady on @EdieMelson (Click to Tweet)

Tips to cope when life gets in the way - via @BruceDBrady on @EdieMelson (Click to Tweet)

Bruce Brady is an author, writer and playwright. His work has appeared in Focus on the Family’s Thriving Family, www.ChristianDevotions.us, and on stage. Currently, Bruce is working on a Young Adult Novel about a boy who must deal with the death of his dad, being bullied, and helping his mom through her grief. His first five pages took third place in the ACFW South Carolina Chapter’s “First Five Pages” contest.

When he’s not writing, Bruce spends time learning from and helping other writers. He serves as Mentor of Word Weavers International’s Online Chapter, and as a member of Cross ‘N’ Pens, The Writer’s Plot, ACFW’s National and South Carolina Chapters.

“My dream is to entertain my readers and give them hope as they travel the rocky road of life.”