Last week one of my children came into my bathroom around 10 o’clock on Wednesday evening. She didn’t need to say a word. I could feel her anxiousness. We participated in a discussion led by two Vanderbilt professors about the horrors occurring in the Middle East on Tuesday evening at church. On Wednesday, my daughter Belle experienced a terrible tragedy on her college campus in CA. They lost 4 senior girls. The very next day, two schools in Nashville, both of which my children attend, were put into “lockdown” because of a loose bank robber. Of course she was feeling anxious. Me too! Her words resonated, “Mom, I just don’t feel I have any control over the outside world and what is happening around me.” There are forty years between us, but our souls are feeling the same thing. To be a human being on this planet right now is an anxious endeavor.

Hope is belief, but it is also hard work! Life is never going to be perfect or go exactly as you and I would like. I do believe we have some agency over our daily existence. Following are the five things I shared with my daughter that she could do on a daily basis to balance the joys and the sorrows in the container of her heart, and find hope!

#1: Pray. I just don’t think we can handle all the noise coming at us 24/7. Our hearts are tender. We must turn over some of the weight. God can handle it and is willing to carry it for us. Formal, polite, cross your t’s and dot your i’s prayers is not the aim. Heartfelt, vulnerable, private, teary, quiet conversations are the way. Nothing compares to God’s peace.

#2: One inch of beauty every single day! For me, this means daily getting out in nature, catching a laugh with a friend, seeing a work of art, or hearing a beautiful piece of music. You have to balance the negativity and despair with goodness and beauty.

#3: Open arms, open heart! Our first instinct is to tuck in and turn away. Do the opposite. One of the last chapters in SOULFULL is titled, “Don’t Postpone Joy.” God gave us joy as a gift. Every little glimmer of joy helps us keep moving forward…abounding in hope. Open your front door, put out the welcome mat, set your table, accept invitations, make plans, surround yourself with family and friends. There is much to be savored and celebrated.

#4: Actively take care of your mind, body, and soul. All of us need more sleep. Take daily fasts from media (social media too!) Nourish our bodies with healthy food. Cultivate inner calm with evening Lavender Epson salt baths. Fix a cup of tea. Nothing is as powerful as a peaceful heart.

#5: Love a stranger! One act of kindness for a stranger a day. Not only does it give you larger purpose, but it contributes goodness back into the world. Touch somebody that you don’t know every single day. It’s a simple gift of a smile, a passing compliment, helping them pick up their spilled groceries. See love win on your watch!

Much love,

Farrell

THANK YOU to everyone who has purchased a copy of SOULFULL! If it moves you, I would so appreciate you posting a review on AMAZON HERE!https://www.amazon.com/Soulfull-Weekly-Devotional-Nourish-Spirit/product-reviews/0593444159/ref=cm_cr_dp_d_show_all_btm?ie=UTF8&reviewerType=all_reviews

You can order SOULFULL for yourself and for those you love here: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/717385/soulfull-by-farrell-mason/

Need me to sign a book or two, I will meet you in your driveway or mail you signed books!!! Lastly, we are having a special evening on November 8th, A NIGHT OF HOPE, at Woodmont Christian Church. There will be music, soul-filling conversation, and gifts!!!RSVP HERE!! https://www.eventbrite.com/e/soulfull-by-farrell-mason-at-woodmont-christian-church-tickets-736214917637?aff=oddtdtcreator