Ever have one of those days when you just dread turning on the TV, or the radio? Or looking at the news posts on your smartphone? Or looking at the stock market reports? Or taking that next phone call? Because the news is negative. Another shooting. More people found dead in the California fires. Multiple people killed in a bus accident. The stock market is down and people are scared. Tariffs are affecting imports and exports. Interest rates are going up. Washington is trapped in gridlock, because everyone on the other side is evil. I’ve reached my limit. I’m tired of the daily news stories. Tired of the challenges of today. Tired of the negativity. Don’t put one more thing in my “inbox,” because it will collapse! Time for a reboot… One of my top 5 strengths is positivity. I’m generally a very optimistic person. I can always find a silver lining in a dark cloud. I can always see the green grass within reach, just on the other side of the fence. In a bed of thorns, I can always find a rose. You get the idea. But, right now, it seems that things are attacking my positivity like fire ants on a bare foot that accidentally stepped on their mound. A deep breath. A quiet prayer for patience, for guidance, for peace. Reboot. Be still and know that I am God. (Psalm 46:10) Be still. Breathe. Connect with God—the One who was, is, and always will be. The One who sends His Son to save us. The One who died on the cross and rose again, so that we might be free of all the bickering, the killing, the negativity, all the fire ants that attack us—and all the evil that we do unto others. For when we turn to the God who is with us every step of every day, we begin to unveil a quiet joy, even amid life’s challenges. Be still. Know that God is God, and I am not. Be still… In quiet joy, Pastor Tenny “So be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid and do not panic before them. For the Lord your God will personally go ahead of you. He will neither fail you nor abandon you.” Deuteronomy 31:6