My ex-wife called, and asked that we change our "normal summer arrangement" to where I "keep" our son for one month, and she continue "keeping" him for the other month. To her, it's simple (it's always simple to her...) - I keep him for a month, she keeps him for a month. Of course, her tension started to rise when I started poking questions at it (Perfect indicator that her plan has "holes"). And when I mentioned that I want to talk to my lawyer first... POP! She did not like that!!!

Don't get me wrong - I don't trust her for a second. She has done things to confirm my lack of trust, and her continuance to treat me with no respect, doesn't help. So her "shock & awe" with my notion to speak with my lawyer first, only confirms that this is the path that I need to take. I love my lawyer, and I am grateful for her knowledge, and it's worth every dime... but that was a lot of dimes. And for this to happen, this has to go thru the courts - and if I know her, she won't donate a dime to it. *more sighs*

If you've been keeping up with my recent posts, the last 13 days have been "eventful", but also educational. I feel as if I am learning new things about myself & making big strides, but only because all of these things are happening closely together. But I am tired. (Yes, i know... "God will refresh me..." but the mental & emotional drain is great).

I have been praying like a blessed man since all of this has started.

My reliance on prayer has sky-rocketed (and that's awesome)... but I can't help but selfishly think - "When do I get a break?"... "When does my ex back off?" (forget getting an "atta boy", i'd settle for her just backing off)..."When do I get my friends back?" To no surprise, my stress levels have elevated slightly... (I love my sarcasm)

Stress is something that we're all familiar with (well, maybe not Steve but... the rest of us know this word all too well) Yes, it's a normal part of everyday life, and none of us can get through a day without experiencing it in one form or another. Forget family, friends, ex's,... Money, medical issues, work can raise our stress levels to astronomical levels. High stress levels can even cause health problems! Our bodies were created by God to withstand a certain amount of stress, but when we push we begin to experience greater problems. This is truly a killer... not so much in the "living" sense, but also with our spirits and with our walk with God.

But Jesus has "predicted" this... We are to be the devil's targets, because we are not of this world any longer. We don't have to react like the world - Our approach (and attitude) should be entirely different. Where the world reacts by becoming upset, Jesus teaches us to stop allowing ourselves to be agitated, disturbed or upset.

Although I am not too familiar with this yet, I am told that the right attitude\approach can completely turn a situation around. (Something I am all too familiar with...) If I approach something in fear or dread, I am setting myself up for misery before I even begin, because dread creates stress. (What I am trying to work on but haven't had much success yet...) But refusing to worry\dread, we can open the door for God to work & help us. But as always, the choice is our own. Jesus said that stress will be something that will always be a part of our lives.

This verse teaches us that we don't have to react to stress the way the world does. Jesus has deprived the world of it's power to harm us!!! So we should be able to approach our challenges in a calm & confident *working on this*

One of my favourite scriptures I've just grown to love & believe in is:

Jesus is telling us that He has equipped us to overcome the world's ways. And despite the fact that we will face some challenging & stressful things, things that won't always be easy to handle, He assures us that nothing can defeat us if we handle things the right way - His way!

An important factor in enjoying a peaceful, stress-free life is learning to be obedient to God. Think about it - Following the Holy Spirit's lead will always lead you to peace. Jesus will never lead you into stress, because He is the Prince of Peace. Common sense tells us that God’s not going to stress us out and lead us to do more than we can do; however, we often do this ourselves.