Rest and Birds

Thanksgiving and Christmas seem to always surface stress. We try to avoid it, we try to be full of thanksgiving and cheer. We spend money and time to deck the halls, but at some point we all reach that hour when we think “I can’t do all of this!” Sometimes we even think “If I can just get to February…April…May.” The truth is, we are always stressed. So I had a thought, this year, better yet, today - let’s try to be proactive.

During a recent stress management seminar the instructor walked around the room holding up a full glass of water. ‘How heavy is this glass of water?’ she asked. Answers ranged from 8 oz. to 20 oz. ‘The absolute weight doesn't matter’. She responded, ‘It depends on how long I hold it up. For example, if I hold it for a minute, that's not a problem. If I hold it for an hour, I'll have an ache in my right arm. If I hold it for a day, you'll have to call an ambulance. In each case it's the same weight, but the longer I hold it, the heavier it becomes.

And that's the way it is with stress. If we carry our burdens all the time, sooner or later, as the burden becomes increasingly heavy, we won't be able to carry on. As with the glass of water, you have to occasionally put your burdens down for a while and rest before holding them again. When you're refreshed you can pick them up again with ease.’ Or better yet, Psalm 55:22 reminds us to “Cast your burden upon the LORD and He will sustain you; He will never allow the righteous to be shaken.”

So take a rest already, if He cares about the birds who sing in the morning, He most definitely cares about my soul who sings through each day and night.