One of the severest lessons of retraining for me has been to learn to relax. I fretted over matters that hadn't happened and didn't happen; but they could have. Worrying was as natural as eating. What if? Why did? How come?
When I watch Jesus, he was a man of many emotions; but never of worry. Never. It didn't happen to him.
Living uptightly creates the very ailments and disappointments we were intending to avoid. Whether it be enemy traps or disciple disappointment or execution in public square, Jesus never panicked. Yes, he endured excruciating pain; yet fright, terror, alarm, nor anxiety never crossed his mind.
Calm.
Relaxed and composed, Jesus did not stop until death did him part. In deepest pain, he held onto confidence in Father.
Sharon Hersh recalls a yoga class where she was in knots. But the instructor never interrupted us. When class ended, she said, "Some of you were spending all your time tense, anticipating embarrassment and shame, and trying to control it and deal with it before I made an example of you. You missed the whole point of class. You can simply acknowledge that you won't do everything the right way, and that some poses will be painful. Just wait for that to happen, and trust yourself to deal with it when it does."
....if we spend all of our time being tense, anticipating something terrible, and dreading and fearing what is to come, we miss the whole point: engaging with God in the midst of painful relationships.
Relax. Learning to relax is a great spiritual secret that endurers finally learn. Otherwise, we would be quitters. We would be filled with aggravation while being incessantly stirred in nonsensical and non-productive hub-bub.
Regardless of situations and circumstances, God has us covered if we will permit such. Could it be you bring on more trouble than necessary because you refuse to turn the controls over to Father? Such has been true of me too many painful times.
Calm down. Be quiet. Let God run the show. He does such a better job of providing spectacular life.
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