My back was to her but I could hear every word she was saying as I ate my lunch.

 “That just totally killed my whole vibe!”, she shouted into her phone.

Her statement nearly made me choke on my sweet tea, but I understood what she meant.

Sometimes my whole vibe gets totally killed too.  Things don’t go as I planned.  People don’t keep their promises.  Stuff breaks.  Weather doesn’t live up to my expectations.  Bunnies eat all of my green bean plants. Killed vibes all the way.

I’ve noticed that my opinion of my vibes is usually dependent on a few other things going on in my life at the same time.  That’s when it is a good time to sit down and do a bit of an assessment. 

Am I tired?  My ability to handle difficult or disappointing situations (or people) depends greatly on how much sleep I’ve had.  Little sleep = little patience.

Am I hungry? Yup, my belly can sometimes call the shots.  If I haven’t been proactive about meals and careful about my diet, the consequences can be ugly.  My photo just might be next to the word “Hangry” in the dictionary.

Am I trying to do too many things at one time?  Another way for me to set myself up for failure is to fill  every space in my day planner.  I love to do all the things and I have a hard time saying no to things – especially good things.  Trying to do all of the good things without a break totally adds up to killed vibes for me.

Have I been forgetting to spend time with The Lord in prayer and Bible reading?  For sure, this is the quickest way for me to self-focus and lose sight of my purpose on this planet.  God’s plans for me are good ones and I can forget that fact when I don’t spend one-on-one time with Him.  I need His perspective to help me stay balanced. 

When I allow my vibes to tank, I know I need some help to get my eyes off of myself.  My disappointment with people, frustration with things, or unmet expectations with life are all selfish vibes.  I want my life my way.  Oh, and I want it now thank you very much.   Can you relate?

I’ve also noticed that when my eyes are only on myself, all of my vibes can get killed, not just a few. My mind easily thinks things like, “always”, “never”, “most”, “worst”. . . you get what I mean.

God’s perspective is just the shot-in-the-arm my vibes need.  His leading and His word remind me that I’m not the center of my own universe.  And thank goodness for that. 

When I can take my eyes off of myself and focus on Him, my light and momentary troubles take their rightful place and actually seem to fade.

^“For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison. ” 2 Corinthians 4:17

Lord, you’ve seen me at my worst and you still love me. You’ve given me your Holy Word to teach me ways to keep my eyes off of myself and focused where they should be. Forgive me when I get off track and let people and problems and situations rob me of joy because I make something bigger than it needs to be. Thank you that I can give up my right to have things my way because you are in control. thus avoiding “totally getting my vibes killed”. Help me to stay balanced by following you and going where you lead.