Good morning!
How are you? It’s Monday morning, you have the whole week ahead of you, and no matter who you are or what you do, Jesus wants to help you. The new appliances that I wrote about last week have arrived, and I’m having them installed on Wednesday. You know, no matter whether you are single or have a family, every one of us needs a safe place where we can rest our heads. If your thoughts don’t a chance to rest, you will make the wrong decisions, react in ways you don’t mean to, and try to find substitutes for what you are missing. “Come to me,” Jesus promises, “all you who are weary and burdened.” No matter who you are, he has a pillow for you too.
For a short while just after Christmas, when I was going through separation anxiety after the loss of Carina, I was experiencing uneasiness at night time. You know, when you are tired, your thoughts can be filled with anxiety. I thought about selling the house before realizing that it wouldn’t help. Well faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God, and I make sure to always listen to at least one sermon per week. Even though I’m a preacher, I need to be preached to! This time, God spoke to me through a sermon.
“When we go through difficult things,” the preacher preached, “it’s as if certain parts of our brain get swollen. It will remain swollen, but if you are able, start to speak positively, speaking out God’s word to yourself about the things that are difficult. Then it will take about 3 weeks for the swelling to reduce and for you to start feeling better.” That sounds right, I thought, because Paul writes: “Rejoice in the Lord always.”
Yes, I know. It’s not always easy to thank the Lord, especially when life is tough. But I did as the sermon said, and started to thank the Lord for the house, for each room, for the furniture, for the room where Carina went home to be with the Lord, for the kitchen, the bathroom, the laundry room, the yard, the neighbors – and I did I it morning, noon and night, for three weeks. By then the “swelling” reduced. The separation anxiety that I felt late at night disappeared.
Why don’t you try it too! If there’s an area of your thoughts that never seems to get rest, write down what the word of God says. It’s medicine for your thoughts. Take that medicine several times a day. If your anxiety starts to come back again, take more medicine, and keep taking it regularly for three weeks.
Father, in the name of Jesus I thank you for every wonderful brother and sister who is reading this blog right now. Thank you that they are so wonderful, that they are new creations in Jesus. Thank you for everything they are, what they do, and for the life you have given them. Thank you that you live in them this morning, thank you for everything they do for others, thank you for the big things they do and the little things, thank you for helping them to sleep well. Thank you for giving them a pillow on which to rest their thoughts.
Good morning!
Tommy
