Daily Devotional for June 24, 2014

Philippians 4:6-7
Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything; tell God your needs, and don’t forget to thank him for his answers. If you do this, you will experience God’s peace, which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand. His peace will keep your thoughts and your hearts quiet and at rest as you trust in Christ Jesus.

The Living Bible copyright © 1971 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.


On June 9th, a post was shared on Facebook titled “5 Minutes in a Mom’s Head”*…written by Bunmi Laditan, who describes herself as “a writer and social-media obsessed female human…and author of The Honest Toddler: A Child's Guide to Life.”  Laditan lives in rural Quebec, by way of California, with her three children and husband…and she contributes to The Huffington Post, Mommyish, Parenting and other websites. 


In her “5 Minutes” piece, Laditan says in part:
“What time is it? What day is it? Oh gosh this bed feels so good. Why can't I just stay here all day. That would be the perfect vacation.

What are they [the kids] fighting about? ...I should probably wash their stuffed animals. What if they're full of dust mites.

What do I need to do today... return calls, answer emails, return texts from days ago... people probably think I'm so rude. I need to get organized. I need to organize this whole house. This room is a mess. I need to declutter.

OK, if I don't get up now we're going to be late. Oh man, I have to stop for gas. I'm on empty. Why do I always wait until the last minute? Because I was rushing home to make dinner.”
Sound familiar?  Even if you are not a mom, you may be one of “those people” whose mind races…especially when your head hits the pillow.  Your thoughts and your heart are anything but quiet!  Substitute your worries and concerns for those of this mom, and you totally “get” her!  “But I have real problems…not the silly, trivial worries she talks about…things far more important than dust mites on Teddy bears and getting organized!”  Yeah…but a lot of us worry about those “silly, trivial” things right along with the big issues…like school, work, bills, health, and relationships, and war and peace!

The thing to remember is that NOTHING is silly or trivial to God!  He cares about whether your car is gassed up and your house is decluttered – if that matters to you!  He cares whether you are undergoing chemotherapy for a disease that is ravaging your body just as much as the cough or sniffle that has you laid up for a few days.  He is concerned about your lack of sleep – regardless of the cause.  God wants to handle any – and ALL of your burdens…and exchange them for His inexplicable peace.  He wants to give you a heart and mind that is completely at rest in Him.


I don’t know about you, but I’m thinking maybe I should have this scripture passage tattooed on my forearm, where I would be sure to see it several times a day!  I need a constant reminder of God’s desire to fill me with peace…alwaysin ALL WAYS!  And maybe you need this reminder, too!  It’s normal…human…to worry and fret and have a heart and mind cluttered with all kinds of thoughts and concerns in today’s busy, hectic world.  But it’s also totally unnecessary.

I am so thankful that God wants to give us a rest that defies logic…a peace that cannot be rationalized - but is completely real, just the same.  And it all starts with a prayer…and a release of our thoughts and cares into His capable hands (followed by a profuse expression of gratitude for His amazing grace and mercy!).  What do you think would happen if each morning, you replaced the first five minutes of “pillow talk” in your head with a conversation with God about your day and your concerns? What if you continued to talk to Him throughout the day about each issue that arose – no matter how great or small?  Isn’t it worth a try?

Are you ready to experience God’s “peace that passes understanding”?  Are you ready for some real rest and stress relief?  Have you spoken to Him about this today?  Don’t you think it’s time you did?


©2014 Debbie Robus

*
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/bunmi-laditan/5-minutes-in-a-moms-head_b_5445948.html

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