Hey my Sweet Blog Friends! Today is one of my favorite type of blog posts:  Book Give Away Day. 

My friend and fellow author, Cindi McMenamin, has written a powerful, practical guide to living life drama free. If you long for peace when emotions overwhelm you, you’ll love Cindi’s wisdom. To enter for a chance to win Drama Free, simply leave a comment about why you’d like the book in the comment section below and share the post on social media. One lucky winner will be chosen next week.

Let me introduce you to Cindi….

If you’re like me, you’ve often said – or thought – I don’t do drama.

Yet, as much as you and I would like to shut the chaos, confusion, and cattiness out of our lives and convince ourselves we don’t do drama, it has a way of creeping into our lives anyway.

Drama happens when unexpected circumstances hit and we are unprepared to handle them. And drama happens when we come up against family members or people with different personalities, learned behaviors, expectations, and an ability to misunderstand, misinterpret, exaggerate, gossip, disappoint, and act selfishly or inconsiderate. Just being around other people can elicit drama.

I’d like to think I’m never the cause of anyone else’s drama. But in reality, I can play into unnecessary drama without even realizing it.

Whether our drama is the petty stuff (like being gossiped about or having a bad day) or the truly painful stuff that catches us off guard (like a cancer diagnosis, the ending of a friendship, or suddenly losing someone we love), how we respond makes all the difference – or all the drama – in the world.

Our upbringing, personality, and baggage from past wounds can trigger dramatic reactions to varying degrees, especially if we are unaware of our vulnerabilities and what we are capable of. For instance:

• Do you tend to react emotionally to the unexpected, and think more clearly a little later?
• Do you have high expectations of others, especially those closest to you?
• Are you easily offended?
• Do you care deeply what others think of you?
• Do you ever feel like you need to please everyone?
• Do you have family members who try to pull you into their problems and issues?
• Would you rather stay silent than talk about an issue that’s bothering you?

If you said “yes” to any of those questions you’re pretty much like every other breathing woman on this earth – you have emotions and sometimes struggle with how to express them. But you don’t have to stay that way. As you and I learn how to maturely respond – rather than emotionally react – to what life brings us we can dial down the drama, diffuse it, or eliminate it altogether.

Here are three ways to respond maturely when drama comes your way:

1. Consider the bigger picture. Every circumstance you encounter is meant to conform you to the image of Christ (Romans 8:28-29). Once you consider this, you can relax and realize God knows what He’s doing in whatever He’s allowing. And you can focus on passing the test, rather than failing it through unnecessary drama.
2. Capture Your Thoughts. Do you realize that when you feel overwhelmed by health problems, or too many commitments, or relationship difficulties, or emotional distress, it’s possible the enemy of your soul has already formed a stronghold within you and is having a heyday with your thought life? Your only defense it to take those misdirected thoughts captive to the obedience of Christ so they are not running loose in your head and wreaking havoc with your emotional state (See 2 Corinthians 10:3-5).

To take our thoughts captive to the obedience of Christ means capturing or binding them with the truth of God’s Word. Instead of entertaining a loose thought like “I can’t get through this situation” capture that thought with the truth of God’s Word: “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13). Or, instead of entertaining the thought “I’m alone in this” capture that thought with the truth that Christ has said He’ll never leave you or desert you (Hebrews 13:5).

The more we know of God’s Word, the better we will be able to tame our reckless, wild thoughts.

3. Correct Your Thinking. When you begin to feel overwhelmed by life and start to freak out, ask yourself: “What am I believing about God that isn’t true?” Focus on the facts, not your feelings. What are the facts about God when your feelings are telling you otherwise? When our feelings lead us down a dark tunnel of despair, we need to switch on the facts of what we know about God to direct us back out.

Practice these three simple steps and you, too, can be done with the drama.

Cindi McMenamin is a national speaker and author who helps women and couples strengthen their relationship with God and others. She is the author of 15 books including her newest, Drama Free: Finding Peace When Emotions Overwhelm You. For more on her books and Southern California-based ministry, see her website: www.StrengthForTheSoul.com.

If you would like the chance to win a free copy of Cindi’s book leave a comment telling me why. Don’t forget to share this post on social media. The world could use a lot more people who live drama free!