When They Don’t Show Up: Protect Your Peace
- candy christophe
- 13 hours ago
- 2 min read
Today, my office gave me another surprise birthday party because they were not able to make it to the other celebration. I was deeply touched by the love, the appreciation, and the thought behind it. But it also made me stop and think on a deeper level.
Some people are a part of your life for a season. Some people are a part of your life to go the distance. But what we have to be careful of is this: we cannot let go of our peace when the people we expected to be there are not there.
That kind of disappointment is real.
There are times in life when you are hurt because somebody you thought should have shown up did not. There are times when you poured into other people from the bottom of your soul—genuinely loving them, genuinely wanting better for them, genuinely wanting to see them smile—and when it was their turn to show up for you, they were not there.
That hurts.
But the truth is, you cannot make grown people do, act, or respond the way you want them to. You just cannot do it.
So rather than being distracted by those who were not there, concentrate on those who are there. Enjoy the love, the beauty, and the peace that is right in front of you. Too often, we get distracted chasing after what is missing, and we overlook the love that is present. We get so focused on those who were absent that we miss the gift of those who showed up.
Do not get distracted with the distraction.
Take note of who is there. Receive the love being shown to you. Receive the peace that is available to you. Do not let the absence of a few make you blind to the blessing of the ones who are present.
One of the biggest lessons in life is this: stop waiting for people to act right before you give yourself permission to have peace.
I will say that again.
Stop waiting for people to act right before you give yourself permission to have peace.
Peace is not supposed to depend on other people finally doing what you hoped they would do. God says His peace is ours for the receiving. So do not give it away. Do not surrender it because somebody failed to show up. Do not let somebody else’s absence rob you of the love, gratitude, and beauty that God has placed right in front of you.
Today, I am grateful. I am grateful for the love shown to me. I am grateful for the appreciation. And I am especially grateful for the deeper lesson that came with it.
That lesson is not just for me. It is for anyone who has ever been disappointed by someone they thought would be there.
Pay attention to who is present. Receive the love in the room. Protect your peace. And stop waiting on people to act right before you allow yourself to rest in what God has already given you. That is the Legacy Lesson.
By Candy Christophe, LCSW, LAC
The Power Couple Coach | You Can Have Both™ | Candy’s Legacy Blueprints™
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