Previous Challenge Entry (Level 4 – Masters)
Topic: RELAX (06/08/17)
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TITLE: Swimming Through Troubled Waters | Previous Challenge Entry
By Marlene Bonney
06/14/17 -
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My troubled thoughts clear away like so many cobwebs under Grandma’s broom as I meditate and praise the Maker, the Creator of this vast universe that portrays such perfection and beauty. I take a deep, cleansing breath and let it out—oh, so slowly—releasing my tensed muscles into wet noodles that allow me to hang loosely above the gently lapping waves and ripples. I am suspended in timeless peace and at peace as I relinquish my cares into His keeping, wishing these beginning moments of my day will stay with me.
“Mommy, I’m hungry,” a plaintive sleepy cry from my 5-yr. old daughter echoing through the cottage’s screen door behind me, “Billy’s awake, too,” my baby’s demanding cries shattering my reveries.
Reluctantly, but necessarily, I rise from my sanctuary to meet the needs of my little brood like the mother hen that I have become. . .
One by one, like pesky flies, my day is swarmed with petty annoyances and distractions that pull me away from my earlier buoyancy. Glimmers of His presence remain, however: the baby’s precious smiles and my eldest’s wonderings that see the world around us so fresh and innocent; and for these moments I can shed the mundane burdens from my shoulders.
Unlike me, my husband is laid back, a go-with-the-flow kind of guy who is seldom bothered with tense muscles. Like buoys that bob and float in the lake’s arms, he welcomes the waves and does not fight against the current. I, on the other hand, only truly relax when my head hits the pillow at bedtime or when I intentionally massage anxieties away by listening to God’s gentle whispers in my soul. Like a breath of fresh air, the strain and monotonous stress of duties is washed away when I concentrate on serving the needs of those around me, shifting stresses from my shoulders to His. Walking with Him, I experience the rhythms of His grace, leaning on Him for support instead of weighing myself down with unnecessary baggage.
Like physical eating that needs replenishment three times a day, I find that deep breathing exercises as my appetizer, along with prayer as my entrée and scripture reading as my dessert three times a day is a formula that calms me and regenerates my spiritual connections. As I intentionally relax my anxious thoughts into a higher plane, I have discovered that my body responds in kind.
A favorite passage of mine from the Bible helps me to relax and enjoy the abundant life God has available to all who believe in Him:
Matthew 11:28-30The Message (MSG)
28-30 “Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”
Years in the distance, I can hear my grown child’s admonishments change from “Chill out, Mom!” to “Way to go!” as I have learned the lesson of God’s grace being sufficient for me.
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