shadow

stress

Let It Go!

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“Cast your burden on the LORD [release it] and He will sustain and uphold you.” 
Psalm 55:22 AMP

Many of you have probably heard of Disney’s movie Frozen and its popular song Let It Go! I’m not necessarily a big fan of the lyrics, but I do like the title. Let me explain.

As Christians, I think we’d all agree that none of us are exempt from the daily troubles and temptations of life. Just because we love God and seek to follow Him doesn’t mean we have it all together. However, learning to apply these three little words – LET IT GO – could prove to be very beneficial in certain situations.

STRESS! Does anyone besides me have issues with that? Stress comes in all kinds of packages. Some are simply beyond our realm of control. Others we create by our busyness and excessive commitments. Other situations just simply require us to let it go. The results of the latter application have proven very beneficial on a personal level.

WORRIES AND CARES. Like stress, anxiety and concerns may or may not be of our own doing. We find instruction in the Scriptures to not worry and to cast our cares on God. Not as easy as it sounds, but if we’ll hold all things with an open hand, it’s much easier to let it go.

UNFORGIVENESS. If you struggle in this area, let me remind you that you are hurting yourself more than the person you choose not to forgive. Holding on to those wrongs will eat at you like cancer and create a bitter heart. Let it go. Give the offense and the person to God. You may have to do it more than once, but the outcome will always be for your good.

FLAWED THINKING. That would be the same as bad, wrong, unhealthy, evil, impure…I think you get my drift. Whether from temptation or random thoughts, we need to get a grip on our thought life. As soon as you recognize that ‘stinking thinking’, let it go! However, be quick to replace the bad with the good.

Father, help us to be quick to grasp those areas of our lives that need to be turned over to         you. May we be quick to let it go, casting it all away, knowing You will take those burdens         and troubles from us. Amen and amen!

[Digging deeper – Prov. 23:7a; Matt. 6:25-34; Phil. 4:6-8; Col. 3:13; 1 Peter 5:8]

Releasing the grip,

Beverly <><

I Really Miss My Mama

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Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.” 

Matthew 11:28-30 NLT

 

OLD_FAMILY_PHOTOS_002Can I just say it out loud? I really miss my mama today.

Sometimes when the stress in my life is off the charts, when nothing seems to be going right, when I feel alone or targeted, I just want my mama.

Like today. Sitting here with my desk piled high, stress to the gills, feeling overwhelmed; I want to tell her all about what’s going on. I want her to wrap her arms around me, pat me on the shoulder, kiss my cheek, and tell me it’s going to be all right. And may even feel a little sorry for me. I must have been born this way because this picture clearly indicates a three-year-old under the influence of stress!

And I want to listen to what my mama says.

As I’m sitting here wondering what she’d say on this particular day of stress, I broke out in laughter. I know exactly what she’d say. “You’re doing too much” That’s what she always said.

THE_LOOK_#1

Tilting her head, while giving me “the look”, she’d say, “Brenda, you’re trying to do too much!”

Well, duh.

“But mama, it’s required! I have a lot to do. Jesus has assigned me to this ministry and …”

“What does the Lord require of you?,” she’d interrupt.  Deuteronomy 10:12 (NLT) says;

“And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God require of you? He requires only that you fear the Lord your God, and live in a way that pleases him, and love him and serve him with all your heart and soul.”

OLD_FAMILY_PHOTOS_006She is with Jesus now, so I get the feeling mama would continue her “you’re doing too much” lecture by reminding what Jesus himself said…

Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.” 

Matthew 11:28-30 NLT

Ok, let’s take a deep breath together…

“Oh, Lord, why do I have to be reminded over and over that your burden is light, that what you expect of me isn’t the same thing that people expect of me. Thank you for the reminder Lord. Now, would you tell my mama that I love her. And I miss her so much? And when you’re through with me here, I’ll see her heaven.”

Until next time,

Your Traveling Partner,

Brenda

What To Do When You’re Doing Too Much: Cut the Clutter

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Are you often overwhelmed? Overcommitted? Do you have a hard time saying no? Then hang around this week. We’re going to start off the new year by learning to say “no” to filling our days with busyness and say “yes” to the things God wants in our lives.

 

Cut the Clutter

I have seen the business that God has given to the children of man to be busy with. He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, he has put eternity into man’s heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end. I perceived that there is nothing better for them than to be joyful and to do good as long as they live; also that everyone should eat and drink and take pleasure in all his toil—this is God’s gift to man.
Ecclesiastes 3:10-13, ESV

clutterI don’t watch a lot of television, but one of the shows I have seen from time to time is called “Clean House.” A team of people go into a very cluttered home, help the residents clear out the clutter, and then redecorate the home. The results are usually amazing, and when they revisit the residents later, they always talk about how much easier their life is—how much more peaceful they feel not having all that clutter around.

I admit —I’m guilty of this to an extent. My home may not look like an episode of “Hoarders,” but I know I could live without a lot. As I’ve told my husband—it’s not that our house isn’t big enough. We just have too much stuff in it. We’re working on decluttering, but it’s a long process. (See the photo above. Yes, that’s my office, before and after. It became the dumping ground in our house. Please don’t judge me. )

Life is like that, too. Your life can become so “cluttered” with demands and commitments that you feel as if you’re suffocating under the weight of it all. When your “to do” list exceeds the number of hours in the day every single day, you never feel as if you accomplished anything. It’s not a very peaceful way to live, and certainly not the way God wants us to feel day in and day out.

If you feel completely overwhelmed, take some time to look at your schedule. Then look for ways to free up a little time. Is there someone you can carpool with, taking the kids to school, even if it’s only a couple of afternoons a week? Is there someone else who can take charge of the Girl Scout cookie sale this year? Do you really have to serve on five different committees? Remember, saying no isn’t rejecting an obligation. It’s giving someone else the opportunity to be blessed by serving!

Don’t let your control-freak streak take away the peace God wants you to have. You can let go of some things. You might even find that (gasp!) someone is better at something than you were, but they never had the chance to step up! So pray about your commitments and let go of the ones God tells you to let go of. I promise, the world will not collapse. Give others a chance to serve!

In His Love,

Amy