I'm reading a book by Joyce Meyer called
"Conflict Free Living" and I've been looking at the book for a long time now and passed it up every time. (As a bargain shopper, $24 is a lot to pay for a book. LOL!) But it turns out it was well worth every penny of it... Since beginning reading it (and I'm not finished yet), I've been consciously trying to take a Biblical approach to conflict.
Is it easy? Um, no. But is it rewarding? Absolutely! There's something I've come to realize since reading it, though (and I highly recommend it to you and would be glad to loan it out when I'm done). Whenever people are argumentative and always full of strife and conflict, my first reaction has always been one of two things: argue back or try to make them happy. (Sometimes I've even kind of done both of these at once, oddly enough!) Anyway, what I realize now that I really SHOULD have known all along is that I cannot control that person. What I can control is my reaction to that person. And that has changed me. It really has. I don't get upset when my dad flies off the handle anymore; I just calmly ignore him until his tirade ends. (This drives him even more insane, which might just be worth the $24 in itself. LOL!)
So, what I've come to learn over the past few days is that I prefer my drama from this guy:
A few exciting updates to post:
Cindy had her baby on June 22. She was a 7 pound, 7 ounce (I think) beautiful baby girl and while they had a little scare with her breathing, it seems like she's doing just fine now. Her name is Suzi (Suzannah Riley Liberty Raines). :-) CONGRATULATIONS, CINDY, CHRIS, IZZY, AND SOPHIE (and Grandma Norma and Grandpa Ray and Aunts Micki and Crystal and the rest of the extended family!!!).
My friend Jeri is pregnant and found out last week that she is having a boy. Congratulations, Jeri and Sean!
My sister Terri is moving to a new (bigger) house and quitting her job to be a full-time mom. I think that's awesome.
My mom, sister, and I are taking a beach trip in September. I cannot WAIT!!! :-)
Happy July 4th, everyone. I'm going to try to post a patriotic blog later in the day!
