Relax

I am amazed at just how busy life can get sometimes. We spend most of April, May, and June running most nights either to Lauren's soccer game or Jonathan's baseball games. Add that to all the other stuff, and it all = busy. I have to admit that it's hard for me sometimes to relax. I am so used to being busy, that in those moments when I'm not I feel distracted, anxious, lazy, or like I should be doing something. It's just so difficult to relax!

A word that is used in the Bible to convey this idea of relaxing is the word "abide". In the New King James Version of the Bible, the word abide is used over and over in John 15. For example: "Abide in Me, and I in you" , "He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit" , "If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you" , "abide in My love." But what does it mean to abide? The word "abide" as used in John 15 is defined as "working to full capacity in a relaxed state of faith." The ability to rest and relax is an area that most Christians struggle in. We have a hard time finding the balance between two things; doing our part and keeping our hands off God's part. And if we fail to balance this we end up trying to "make it happen." I know this is a tough balance......because I struggle with it as well on a daily, hourly, minute-by-minute basis.

Faith allows us to relax, trust, and exhale from the busyness. Faith turns the time table completely over to God. Think about the definition of abide again, "working to full capacity in a relaxed state of faith." Does your life look like this? Some days it does, but others I fail miserably. This week, would you pray that God would help me to relax; to help me live the definition of abide? And I will do the same for you. And this week, we can work toward this together.

"God.....give me mental peace this week.....help me learn how to abide in you.....and in the quiet times, help me just to relax.....AMEN!"