Lessons from Vacation #9: Choose Peace

My latest vacation took me to Florida where my family and I took some much needed time away to watch some Spring Training baseball games and hit the beach. It was a great time away filled with tons of sun and warm weather. I even got to catch a foul ball at the Yankee Spring Training game we went to.

But before my vacation even really took off, I experienced an uncontrollable situation. Our connecting flight was delayed and we had to sit longer than expected as we waited for that plane to come in before we could get to Orlando. I know, I know, really rough stuff my family and I encountered!

Well here is the deal, when that situation happened, I had two options. I could have chosen to let it rattle me and cause me frustrations. Or, I could have chosen to be at peace with the whole situation and just let it play out. I chose peace. In fact, the entire trip, my goal was to chose peace.

See, I realize that vacations with my family are special and my children really look forward to them. I also realize my response to things on the trip (and at home) have a direct correlation to how my children will respond during the trip and when they get older and are on vacation with their families. I wanted them to have a wonderful trip full of no stress and I wanted them to see that you don’t have to get rattled when things don’t go your way. So I chose peace.

In life and in ministry we have options to how we respond to uncontrollable situations. I wish I had chosen peace more times than I did but the reality is how we respond to those situations can directly impact our lives and the lives of those around us.

When you choose peace I have found that:

• you tend to make wiser decisions as you don’t let emotions cloud your judgement
• you don’t make situations worse for those around you
• it is less tense

The decisions you make directly impact the people around you as well as you. You can choose to make a big deal about situation you may not have any control over which could cause a headache of a time for you and others. Or, you can choose to go with the flow and make peaceful decision. This week, choose peace and see how God uses a peaceful decision by you to make a very positive impact on the lives of others.

Matthew 5:9 – “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.”

What do you think?  How has choosing peace helped you in your life or in your ministry? Share your experiences below or on social media using #ymsidekick when you post.