Sometimes the greatest source of stress in our lives is not what is happening around us. It is the tension we feel when our thoughts, feelings, values, and actions are pulling us in different directions.
When Something Feels Off
Have you ever walked away from a conversation and felt unsettled?
Not because of what happened.
Not because someone else upset you.
But because something felt off within yourself.
I think many of us have experienced moments like that.
Moments when we say yes when we wanted to say no.
Moments when we stay silent when we should have spoken.
Moments when we react in ways that don't reflect who we truly are.
Those moments often leave us feeling frustrated, confused, or disappointed.
Not because we are bad people.
But because we are experiencing misalignment.
Our thoughts are saying one thing.
Our feelings are saying another.
Our actions are saying something else entirely.
When those parts of ourselves stop working together, it becomes difficult to find peace.
Learning From the Example of Jesus
One of the reasons I find so much comfort in the life of Jesus is that He never pretended difficult emotions did not exist.
Before His crucifixion, He prayed, "Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done." (Luke 22:42)
What strikes me about that moment is that Jesus did not deny what He was feeling.
He acknowledged it honestly.
He did not suppress it.
He did not pretend it wasn't there.
Yet His actions remained aligned with His purpose.
I think that is one of the most powerful examples of emotional and spiritual balance in Scripture.
Faith is not pretending we don't have emotions.
Faith is learning how to acknowledge them honestly while allowing our values to guide our actions.
That is alignment.
More Than What We Do
For a long time, I believed being helpful was one of the most important things about me.
Looking back, I think part of that came from wanting to be the kind of person I needed when I was younger.
Helping people is a beautiful thing.
The problem came when I started believing that helping people was all I had to offer.
I slowly began confusing who I was with what I did.
When that happened, I found myself saying yes when I wanted to say no.
Giving when I was exhausted.
Taking responsibility for things that were never mine to carry.
Eventually, resentment began to grow.
Not because helping people was wrong.
But because my actions were no longer aligned with my genuine thoughts, feelings, and needs.
For years, I misunderstood what it meant to guard my heart.
"Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it." (Proverbs 4:23)
I used to think guarding my heart meant protecting myself from being hurt.
Now I think it also means being honest with myself when my thoughts, feelings, values, and actions are no longer aligned.
Finding Your Way Back
Recently, I got into an argument with my grandfather.
Looking back, what stands out to me is not the argument itself.
What stands out is how unlike myself I felt afterward.
I realized that my thoughts, feelings, and actions were not working together.
I was carrying stress and frustration from other areas of my life, and instead of processing those things in a healthy way, they came out in a moment where they didn't belong.
I think many of us know what that feels like.
We leave a conversation and think:
"That wasn't me."
The truth is, it was me.
But it wasn't me at my best.
It wasn't me acting in alignment with the values I want to live by.
Looking back, I wish I had been quicker to listen and slower to speak.
"Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry." (James 1:19)
The lesson wasn't that I was a bad person.
The lesson was that I was out of alignment.
And when we recognize that, we have an opportunity to return to ourselves.
Choosing Peace
The beautiful thing about growth is that God does not expect perfection.
"Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning." (Lamentations 3:22-23)
Every morning gives us another opportunity to return to our values, our faith, and the person God is calling us to become.
Peace is not found in getting everything right.
Peace is found in alignment.
It is found when our thoughts, feelings, values, and actions begin moving in the same direction.
It is found when we stop performing and start living authentically.
It is found when we become who God created us to be.
I Am Affirmations
I am becoming more aligned with my values each day.
I am allowed to acknowledge my emotions honestly.
I am more than what I do for other people.
I am growing into the person God created me to be.
I am capable of returning to peace when I lose my balance.
Prayer
Heavenly Father,
Thank You for creating us with thoughts, emotions, values, and the freedom to choose how we respond to the world around us.
Help us recognize when we have drifted out of alignment and give us the wisdom to return to You, to our values, and to the person You are calling us to become.
Teach us to be honest about what we feel without allowing those feelings to control us.
Help us live authentically, love generously, and walk faithfully in the purpose You have given us.
May our thoughts, feelings, values, and actions work together in a way that brings peace to our lives and honors You.
Amen.
Closing Thoughts
A flower does not grow because conditions are perfect.
It grows because it continues reaching toward the light.
We are not called to be perfect.
We are called to keep growing.
When our thoughts, feelings, values, and actions begin working together, we discover something many people spend their entire lives searching for:
Peace.
In faith,
Lyndsay LaBrier
Merchant Ship Collective