In this first Encouraging Words episode, I encourage you not to let yourself get overwhelmed by kids and parents and finances and (un)employment and health and everything else in your life. I can't write when I'm stressed out and scared, but I'm a total planner. So how do I keep a balance?

At some point in the last few stressful years, my husband said, "Let's just try to stay in today's box." His point was for us to work on and plan for what we could plan for and work on today, but we had to let tomorrow's problems and potential disasters wait for us tomorrow.

It turns out it was an idea that changed the way we live our lives!

Additionally, there is a section in the Bible where Jesus is talking about not worrying. In Matthew 6, He says we shouldn't worry about what we're going to eat or drink or wear because God knows what we need. Instead, we should seek first His kingdom, and all those things will be given to us as well. This reminded me of how John and I had started trying to live in today's box - not worrying about tomorrow.

In my writing life, this may translate into focusing on the book I'm working on and not worrying about the next trilogy I want to write "soon." It might mean doing today's work today and not getting lost and overwhelmed in the details of everything else that's going to have to get done to publish this book. And so on.

I've found both John's and Jesus' advice to be really helpful in life and in writing. :) I hope you do, too!