Choose Peace….

Last week, we were in New York City for a few rest days. As usual, as soon as we arrived at our hotel, I googled a restaurant that caters to my homeland’s taste. My hubby and I found one, and we drove down and had an excellent time, the next day, we wanted to try another restaurant with the same catering offers but in a different neighborhood. We got lucky and found one as well, getting to this other restaurant wowed us from the outside; we were already thinking of their meals as we disembarked from our vehicle. The interior was great, and a friendly lady met us at the door, and we promptly ordered our meals – which came to our disappointment. I took three morsels of my favorite dish, and I could not continue. I gently covered the plate, and my hubby tried to eat his as well, but he was not happy.

The woman that attended to us was excellent, and we did not want to show our dissatisfaction and disappointment, so we tipped her when leaving. However, I am sure she would realize we were not happy after we had left, especially when she went to our table to pack up the plates and saw the uneaten food.

The whole situation came back to me when I reflected upon it after getting home, and the Holy Spirit reminded me of how I need to behave sometimes when I am stressed. I was reminded that sometimes, some battles are not worth fighting.

Sometimes in life, when we are in the midst of conflict, let’s focus not on the conflict but on how God wants us to act. Let us choose peace intentionally. For example, I was not happy with the food I was served, but I also decided not to waste my energy in voicing it to the woman, thus making her sad.

A wise person once said that when the dust settles after a heated conflict and it is time to move on, we will leave the situation with a sense of peace, not because things turned out the way we think they should have but because we acted the way we should.

Written by Ibukun Ogunsina, New Beginnings Barrie,
Psychotherapy and Counselling Services.
Website: www.newbeginningsbarrie.com
E-mail: inquiry@newbeginningsbarrie.com
Tel: +1 705 241 8456