Retreat Lesson 4 - DE-Stress Yourself

We live in a fast paced society where news travels in milliseconds and communication is right at our fingertips every minute of the day. I've yet to figure out why some people who don't want to be disturbed won't turn off their cell phones even for a few minutes. Are you that way? Think about it and consider turning it off. Life is what we make of it. We can choose to live in constant motion with little down time and take on so many responsibilities that we lose ourselves in the piles of "to do" lists. We can also choose to escape our responsibilities and participate in activities that take away from our relationships and eat away at our souls. My hope for you, dear readers, is that you will take the time to evaluate your life and figure out how to grow in positive ways physically, mentally and spiritually so that all of your relationships are good and you have time to count and appreciate your blessings. This retreat was written years ago with that in mind.

DE-STRESS Yourself

Isn't it interesting how stress has become such a big part of life even though we have more "conveniences" than ever before? We are able to travel long distances in less than half the time. We can communicate with others with the touch of a few buttons in a matter of seconds. We can see historic events unfold before our eyes even when they occur on the other side of the world. We are blessed to have technology that has made life easier for us, however, there are times when it seems that we have been cursed by those same conveniences.

Our way of life is much faster now. We make ourselves accessible to everyone through our cordless phones, cell phones, FAX machines and the internet. We believe more is expected of us. We want to "have it all." We put pressure on ourselves to do it all, to be everything to everyone. On top of that, we pressure ourselves to be pleasant to everyone even when we are stretched to our maximum capacity. Such stresses can have a negative impact on our health and on our relationships with our family and friends. Even more important is that when we let stress get to us it can keep us from God.

Take the time to ask yourself the following questions.
~How often do you take time out of the day to talk to God?
~How often do you take time out of the day to focus on you?
~How often do you take time to evaluate your relationships with your spouse, your children, your friends, your relatives and then try to enhance those relationships?
~How often do you consult God about your blessings as well as your concerns?

God is the only One capable of managing everyone and everything at every given moment. God wants us to allow Him to help us. "Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need." Hebrews 4:16. Through His word, God gives us instruction, hope and peace that can be applied to every aspect of our lives.

It is important to be open to what God wants to tell you. To enable you to hear Him, clear your mind of worries, stresses and other distractions that can take you away from God. After reading the remainder of this page, please do the following exercise and follow it with a prayer to thank God for his mercy and many blessings upon you. Ask that your heart be open to His word and for the opportunity to hear His message for you at this time.

Take a deep breath in through your nose then breathe out very slowly through pursed lips. Stop and assess your body position. Are you in a relaxed position? If not, get in a relaxed position and take another deep breath, let the air out slowly and relax again. May peace be with you as you pray.

"The Lord will give strength unto His people; the Lord will bless His people with peace." Psalm 81:1.