REFRESHING, NOT
DISTRESSING
My friend Alex told me
that yesterday after work he couldn’t stop thinking about the job and he was
really stressed out. When he got home he took one look at his pool. Though the
pool has been operational for a couple months now, this was the first time he
decided he really wanted to get in and take a swim. He told me the water was shockingly
cold at first, but then he started just floating on his back and looking up at
his trees and his whole body and brain started to relax.
The phrase “chilling out,”
meaning “relaxing,” is literally accurate. Cool water is good for slowing
things down. When my shoulder gets tense, I put an ice pack on it. It stings at
first, but if I just bear it for a couple seconds, I start to breathe slowly
and deeply, the tension goes and it feels pretty darn good.
Some of us always move
pretty fast, if not always in body, then at least in our brains. I’m like that.
It’s hard for me to just sit down and meditate quietly. When I start, the
thoughts of things I need to do come popping into my head and I have to grab my
pen and make a note. It takes some real determination for me to really slow
down and “chill out.”
If you can relate to that,
then we both need to learn how to breathe deep and be still. We need to give
our brains a rest sometimes, even when we’re awake.
In Psalm 46:10 God tells
us: “Be still,
and know that I am God.” Isaiah 26:3 says, “Thou wilt keep him in
perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.”
Even as I was writing this
article on my computer, my internet connection went out and I started to get frustrated.
I took a deep breath and stayed as quiet as I could, while my roommate Jane
took a look at it and fixed the connection. I thank God for Jane.
Lately it seems like I’ve
been hit with so many things to get rattled about, but not to worry. Jesus is
always there to get me right back on track. I believe Jesus had my friend Alex
tell me that story about the pool because He, Jesus, had a special message for
me. When Alex described the incident it was as if I was there myself. I could
feel the chill of the water and then the refreshing and calm. Jesus was trying
to get me to pay attention.
So when the computer
incident happened, I was able to pull myself back from distress and calm myself
with the scriptures. And now that the incident is over, I feel much more
refreshed. Cool shower to finish off the day? Maybe I’ll try it.
Love, Carolyn
HAVE you SEEN . . . . MY NEW
BOOKLET??? . . . . A DEVIL ON EVERY DOOR
KNOB – And what to DO about IT.
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