Reflection on Flexibility and Inner Peace

Reflection on Flexibility and Inner Peace

Today’s reflection didn’t happen at dawn like it normally does. I went to bed late last night and woke up later than usual. My entire rhythm felt pushed out of place. When my routine shifts, I can feel the inner turmoil rise. But as I sat quietly reading and studying later in the morning, I realized something that I needed to remember. Flexibility is not a flaw in discipline. Flexibility is a strength in awareness.

Not everything will go according to my structure. Not everything will move in the neat little lines that I draw for my day. Life has a way of reminding me that I am not in control of everything around me. People will behave in ways I would never choose. People will say things that are unkind or untrue. People will misunderstand. People will talk. People will assume. None of that is mine to control.

What I can control is my attitude. What I can control is my focus. What I can control is the way I respond when my peace is tested. Mental toughness is choosing the higher road even when the lower one feels justified. It is remembering that the good book teaches me to love my neighbor as myself. When I treat people poorly because they treated me poorly, I am the one who feels the weight of that choice. It boomerangs back into my chest.

If I see them as the enemy, I will feel like I am living among enemies. If I see them as broken humans doing the best they can with what they know, I will feel compassion. And compassion brings peace. Compassion brings clarity. Compassion helps me stay grateful for everything I still have.

There are always things I can choose to see as missing or lacking. But that only robs me of joy. Today I held onto the verse that anchored me. This is the day the Lord has made. I will rejoice and be glad in it. I cannot rejoice when I am bitter. I cannot be glad when I am replaying old wounds. I cannot be present when I am worried about what may come around the corner.

This day was made. I was given it. I cannot go back and undo anything someone has said or done. I cannot control what anyone may say or do tomorrow. I can only choose how I respond. And what I choose becomes the life I live.

I also think about what I am modeling for Bella Love. She has so much life ahead of her. She will face days when people will say things or do things that hurt. She will have to make the kind of decisions that shape her future. I want her to see in me the example that Barbi has taught her. Be above reproach. Stand for what is true. Live in a way that reflects Christ. Treat others the way you want to be treated.

And as me and Barbi walk through seasons where people are not kind or not truthful or simply choose to act in ways that sting, we still choose the higher road. We choose love. We choose forgiveness. We choose joy. We choose gratitude. We choose the wisdom that nothing beautiful grows in bitterness.

Today reminded me that flexibility is not a disruption. Flexibility is an invitation to stay present and to stay aligned with what matters most.