I never paid attention to the fact that there is a word for…spelling words. An anagram, for example, refers to words that use the same letters. Night and Thing would be an anagram. A palindrome (I always thought that words was cool!) not only uses the same letters, but it spells the same word frontward and backward. Mom and racecar are probably familiar ones. A lesser known word is a semordnilap. A semordnilap is a word that turns into a different word when flipped backwards. Repaid is a semordnilap. When you flip it backwards, it turns into Diaper. One of my favorites when I was younger was Evian.
That bottled water has always helped me remember that the ‘a’ comes before the ‘i’ when I spell out the word Naive. As familiar as I was with the concept of semordnilaps, I had no idea there was actually a word for it. So there. I’m sharing in case you didn’t know either. Now before this brief post turns into an english lesson, I want to talk about one of my favorite semordnilaps.
‘Stressed’. It seems like everywhere I go, I hear people talking about how stressed they are. Bills add up quicker than paychecks. The kids are in need. The parents are in need. The house needs repairing. The car is having issues. Groceries and health are priorities, but the price tags are daunting. There are so many essentials that we can’t even spend much time thinking about the frivolous stuff. So much of our day to day is working just to make a living and to make ends meet. Paycheck to paycheck. It’s not an easy journey. It’s easy to understand why some people are feeling overwhelmed and...well, stressed.
I’ve come to learn that, although there is no quick fix to these daily struggles, the one thing we can be sure to cling to in perilous times is our faith. For me, that came in understanding the importance of my mindset. Some time ago, I was watching a mystery and at the end, one of the characters said, “Stressed is Desserts spelled backwards.” I’m sure some of my semordnilap familiar friends know that. The point she was making, and it is one that I still hold on to, is that my way of thinking matters and it could be the key to finding the peace and happiness I’m searching for.
If I continue to focus on my stress, then I’m less likely to ever visualize or even see the sweetness that is possible. Not from ignoring my worry or anxiety. As a people of faith, we have a hope in the God that loves and cares for us. If we are willing to let go of our stresses and allow God to turn every situation around for our good, then we can experience the sweetness before our worries are resolved. God is just that good to us and it’s something we should never let go of. Now more than ever.
Stay Sunny!
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