What weighs YOU down?
Sometimes we carry around anxiety and stress that's not even ours to bear. We take on more than is necessary.
We may lug around grudges from the past that make us feel sluggish in our spirit today. Or we may allow a hurtful side comment to swirl around inside us, nibbling away at our contentment.
Sometimes our busy brains will spin off on wild tangents about future worries that drain us in the present. Our minds can become a whirling dervish if we don't rein them in.
I have a friend that has been practicing the art of "surrendering" to God each morning, turning over everything to Him. When I hear her bubbly voice and see her bright countenance pop up on my Instagram feed, I can't help but smile and admire her tenacity in letting go. This act of daily surrender seems to be working: it lightens the emotional load and the spiritual wear-n-tear.
"Come to ME, all who labor and are heavy laden and I will give you REST...
Learn from ME, for I AM GENTLE and LOWLY in Heart,
and you will find REST for your souls.
For MY yoke is easy and MY burden is light."
Matthew 11:28-30
Doesn't that sound nice? To lay our burdens down and let our friend, Jesus, teach us how to rest?
It's a pretty simple concept:
Draw near to God.
Learn from the gentle One.
Surrender our burdens.
= Our souls find rest.
The tricky part here seems to be the daily "Come to Me" part that can be a struggle to do consistently. We have to corral our inner "I can do this by myself" approach that we've been holding on to since toddlerhood. Stubbornness is not gonna win here, folks. It's okay to accept help. It's all right to not be the one who has to do it all.
Maybe you have someone you consider a mentor? A coffee chat with a cherished friend might help gain some fresh perspective.
For now, I'm going to try my friend's approach of daily surrender.
**r e l e a s i n g**
It's not "giving up" rather it's the "letting go" of our burdens that help us move forward with lighter spirits.
Onward, friends!
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