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Previous Challenge Entry (Level 1 – Beginner)
Topic: CHILL (10/29/15)
Chill out, take a chill pill, and just chill make your own words to tell people to relax. Isn’t that what you think when you think of chill. It seemed so random most of the time. Is it really random and is there nothing or something behind the saying just chill?
When I was younger I use to say chill out a lot. When I wanted to tell someone to calm down or relax I would tell them to take a chill pill; or just chill out. Was I really solving the problem or making a point to bestow compassion on that person or situation. Clearly not! I wanted to just skim over the situation and not get to the heart of truly what was happening. I don’t know if it was the atmosphere; I was living in, The Fabulous Florida Keys, or what but growing up there, I was chilling as they say.
Life was easy and if I wanted to chill I would go swimming or go outside and play in a tree house that I loved to go to. “Chill’s a word” we use lightly and without a lot of thought. As I am writing this I see the negative connotations’ in how I used it. I also see when it can be wonderful to just chill by the water or even on the water, in a boat; fishing and leaving my worries behind.
So how do we use it? As I got older and my relationship with the Lord grew stronger and I began to feel His compassion for others; I didn’t want to just say to my friends and others to have a chill pill or chill out; displaying I really don’t care. But I truly began to take the time to listen and to be part of the person’s life and situation. Once I did the person and situation began to chill and the peace of Jesus Christ was over the situation as we released it to Him. It wasn’t the pill that was going to help the person but the salvation and the power of Christ in and through the situation that did. He gives us peace that passes all understanding.
So next time we say chill out, take a chill pill, and just chill let’s think about how we are applying it. Are we showing that person that we care about what they are saying or just asking them to take chill pill and get over it? Let’s focus them back on the true peace that only Christ can give. Then when you say chill it’s truly like being in your favorite spot; for me on or by the water. Letting Him chill you all the way through.
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Member Comments
Member
Date
Larry Whittington
11/07/15
Good thoughts. Nice writing.
Loni Bowden-Horn 
11/09/15
You can clearly see you put a heart deal of thought in writing this weeks topic. Thanks for sharing
Shann Hall-LochmannVanBennekom 
11/13/15
This is delightful. I enjoyed your reflections and it made me stop and think. That's a wonderful accomplishment, and should be one of an author's goals.

My main suggestion would be to look at how your voice switched; by voice I mean first, second or third person. Most of it is in the first person singular. I like that. I feel like I'm just chillin' and listening to a good friend ramble. The beginning used the second person, which is tricky to pull off unless the article is a how-to (advice), sermon, or satire. Then in the middle you switched to we. You ended with second person again. This is more my personal choice, but I tend to shy away from articles that feel like a lecture. Not that yours did, but in spots it could lean in the direction. It's a little thing, and most important thing to do in any article is to be consistent.

You obviously nailed the topic. Normally, I'd suggest trying not to use the topic word as much, but it worked with your subtle sense of humor. By repeating it, you made your point stand out even more. I thought your pacing was perfect. It was fast, but, again, it was the right choice for this type of piece. All in all, I think you did a good job. You may want to tweak it a bit and submit it to FW daily devotions. If you add some Scripture and maybe a prayer, you'd have a great devotional. You may need to trim it since the word limit for devotions is only 300 words, but I truly enjoyed it, and I think the message is perfect for today's world.