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Having a Crisis?

Crisis Novena + Crisis Resources + Recommend to a Friend

ood ! Don't you hate the spinning graphic above? It makes us feel like we're spinning. Most of us don't like it when we feel this way. We enjoy life more when things are going well. We like to be in harmony with ourselves, with God and with those around us. Still, life has its share of crises. We don't enjoy them very much at all. We can feel very out of control. We may not know what to do.

Most of us work very hard to create a life that insulates us from harm. We can be very concerned about our security and security for our family members and friends. We can try to earn enough money so having enough will not be an issue. We can work hard at exercise and diet, keeping ourselves in good shape. We don't like things that are hurtful, so we do all we can to minimize the chance that they will cause us inconvenience and pain. Unfortunately, that's not very realistic. All of us will face disappointment, pain, illness and the loss of loved ones from time to time. When life presents things we wouldn't choose, its important for us to have strong footing. It's important that we have a place to turn. That's why our faith is so important!

relationship troubles, scary diagnosis, illness, waiting for test results, death, job difficulties, financial problems, HIV-AIDS, homosexuality, pregnancy, stillbirth, miscarriage, divorce, mortal sin, problems with children and grandchildren, legal problems, alcohol abuse, drug abuse, gambling problems, compulsions, overeating, getting married, moving, abortion aftermath, marriage problems, terrorism, sexual abuse, more

ll the above things can throw us for a loop. We can become used to stability. When something is out of whack we can panic. When we're in a crisis we're forced to think about things that really matter. Sometimes it's helpful for us to consider family members and friends, those who may understand and try to help. Sometimes we'd rather not approach them. It's difficult for many of us to admit that we have a problem, let alone one we haven't been able to solve. It might be easier to approach a stranger.

We can consider our relationship with God. Sometimes we will have prayed and prayed over the crisis we find ourselves in. We may have asked God to iron things out for us and it didn't work. When God doesn't make things happen our way, we can become confused.

S T A R T O V E R

When you've trusted Jesus and walked his way
When you've felt his hand lead you day by day
But your steps now take you another way,
start over.

When you've made your plans and they've gone awry
When you've tried your best and there's no more try
When you've failed yourself and you don't know why,
start over.

When you've told your friends what you plan to do
When you've trusted them and they didn't come through
And now you're all alone and it's up to you,
start over.

When you've failed your kids and they're grown and gone
When you've done your best but it's turned out wrong
And now your grandchildren have come along,
start over.

When you've prayed to God so you'll know his will
When you've prayed and prayed and you don't know still
When you want to stop cause you've had your fill,
start over.

When you think you're finished and want to quit
When you've bottomed out in life's deepest pit
When you've tried and tried to get out of it,
start over.

When the year has been long and successes few
When December comes and you're feeling blue
God gives a January just for you,
start over.

Starting over means "Victories Won"
Starting over means "A Race Well Run"
Starting over means "The Lords' Will Done"

We need not just sit there ... START OVER.

~Internet pass-along, author unknown

hen we're in a crisis situation, it's easy for us to panic. We can believe that our situation is horrible, terrible, or any number of other hopeless adjectives. If there's no hope, then we can easily give up.

Sometimes we can change things to eliminate or at least decrease the severity of our crisis. We might make a commitment to work on our marriage. We might seek help for our drinking problem or other addiction. We can seek treatment for a disease and trust in our doctor. We might become part of a support group made up of those with a similar problem. We might share our experience, strength and hope with others in similar situations.

The first step in dealing with a crisis is knowing that others have faced similar situations in the past. We can rely on their experience. We can begin to break the problem down into parts. We can begin to accept the things we cannot change. We can begin to busy ourselves with the things we can.

S E R E N I T Y P R A Y E R

      God, grant me the Serenity
      to accept the things I cannot change,
      Courage to change the things I can,
      and the Wisdom to know the difference.

    Living one day at a time;
      Enjoying one moment at a time;
      Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace;
      Taking, as He did, this sinful world
      as it is, not as I would have it;
      Trusting that He will make all things right
       if I surrender to His Will;
      That I may be reasonably happy in this life
      and supremely happy with Him
      Forever in the next.
      Amen.

                ~Reinhold Neibuhr

e can have patience. Most of our difficulties didn't appear overnight. They won't disappear overnight either. We can have trust in God. We can have trust in others. We can come to the knowledge that God will bring us through whatever crisis we face.

We can help. I'm so happy you chose to visit this page. If you were referred by another, please thank them! We have some resources that may lighten your burden a bit. I'll offer too, a new and healthy way of dealing with the setbacks and disappointments that so often trigger a crisis in our lives.

Today can be the first of nine days of healing and refreshment. Each day you can receive an e-mail with an uncomplicated exercise for that day and a suggested prayer for that day as well. If you like the first one, you can easily receive the second, and so on. At the end of nine days you might even wish to start over, though my guess is that things will be much better for you after nine days.

If this sounds like something you'd be willing to try, move on to the next page. I'll provide some good resources for many of the crises we face. I'll also help you receive a new suggestion by e-mail each day of your crisis.

Go to the Crisis Novena!

now that you're very much in my thoughts and prayers. Please keep me in yours as well. If you haven't done so, why not sign up for our daily e-mail Morning Prayer as well. Full instructions are found on our Crisis Resources page. One of my favorite Scripture passages comes from the Book of Psalms, Chapter 46, Verse 10, "Be still and know that I am God." May that stillness come into your heart as you come to realize more and more that God is with you in the crisis you face this afternoon.

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