The world appears to be falling apart. The stresses that began with the Covid-19 pandemic still linger even while as a society we are desperate to return to some resemblance of normality. Work slow downs have created huge financial strains on families and individuals, parents and college students are in a holding pattern as they wait for public schools and Universities to figure out what classes in the fall will look like. People are demonstrating for justice and demanding police reforms while chaos and riots dominate the nightly news. All this negativity is creating anxiety and depression in so many people because their worlds are being rocked and they have lost their footing and are emotionally unbalanced.
Recently, someone told me what the word, "consejo' means "advice." I looked up the word and Wiktionary used it in a phrase referenced in the Bible, "Byenaventurádo el varon que non anda en consejo de malos, which is translated, "Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked."
In a world full of uncertainty where we can find consejo'? We can search within and seek wisdom from others. When we challenge the untruths, manipulations, and challenges of today we can learn how to manage and choose to focus on the things that matter to us. We can learn to let go of the lies and seek the truth. Then we can stand in the truth with confidence. After we have cognitive balance (knowing our truth), we must seek a place where we can take care of our spirt and find emotional balance. That is what self-care is all about.
I love this photo of a stream in the mountains of a place I visited not long ago. It is my happy place where the noise of the river trickling over sun drenched rocks drowns out the static of the world. This is where peace and calm washes over my soul and my mind can find rest. It is where I talk to God and listen for his wisdom. It is where I find refreshment, energy, and HE can fill my cup to overflowing. It is where I lay my head down and let the worries of the day wash away.
Where is your happy place? Where do you find rest from the worries of the day? Where can you cry tears that well up in your heart, and where do you feel completely safe? Ask for advice, seek peace, and visit your happy place often.
"Where there is no counsel, the people fall; But in the multitude of counselors there is safety."
Proverbs 11:14 (NKJV)