The Never Ending Gifts

Oh no, here I go again. My body ached with tension as I lay in bed, thinking about all the situations I needed to address that day. Darn it. I was feeling so good. Until last night.

My combined Czech Republic mission trip and vacation had left me nice and relaxed,

and that good, peaceful feeling had continued for several days as I unpacked, did laundry, and grocery shopped.

But now, after a couple of phone calls and emails, I suddenly faced three big matters that all needed my attention right away. My mind raced with the details of each one. How could I possibly do them all? Which one should I tackle first? What could I delay?

The muscles in my shoulders, back, and chest ached with tension, and an unpleasant sense of urgency replaced the feeling of peace I had been enjoying.

No. I don’t want to do this painful tension thing anymore.

Oh yeah, I don’t have to. I’ll go to God.

“Dear God, these aren’t my matters—they’re yours. You’re the only one who has the power to deal with parts of them, anyway. If you want me to tackle them, then you lead, and I’ll follow. I hand over all responsibility to you. I’ll listen and watch for what you want me to do.”

The room brightened as the pressure of responsibility lifted, but I still felt achy and glum.

Nope, I’m not doing this tension thing anymore. I consciously relaxed my chest, stomach, and shoulders, and since they hadn’t been tense very long, my muscles obeyed.

As my chest expanded—released from my vice-like grip—my feeling of peace returned.

Much better. I smiled.

Over the next two weeks, one of the situations I’d turned over to God resolved itself. With God in the lead, the second one went better than I’d anticipated. And I had fun working with God on the third.

Whenever I found myself tensing up, I told myself No, I’m not doing the tense thing anymore. I turned whatever leadership I’d taken over back to God, and let go of the tension.

Ahh. This is the way to live!