Refreshing Moments

You may be continually loaded with cares of life…but there are Refreshing Moments that plop into our lives at the right moment.

We all need experiences and times that recharge our batteries. Some say it’s found at an annual vacation or retreat, while others find it every day with slices of time meant to keep the creative juices flowing. Too many never find this process and simply bury themselves with work and struggles that lead to an unhappy life, ongoing health issues, and even an early grave.

For me, it’s like finding that refreshing pool of water in a dry and stressed out land! We need this water, and we look for it, every single day, and in every single moment. Sometimes it comes from unexpected sources.

How do you refresh yourself?

How do you bring yourself back from the brink of being overwhelmed by life? We all need coping tools! It may be a simple action that helps us recover, as finding a quiet corner to refresh the mind from all that has happened. Sometimes it’s a major event, as in a long trip away from everyone we know!

I have found that whatever works for one does not necessarily work for another.

Let me list a few things that I know works for me…

• … it’s a daily activity that revolves around quiet time. No distractions. Doing just what I want to do, whether it’s reading or listening or shutting down the brain that never seems to know how to slow down.
• … it’s enjoying time with my bride, regardless of the activity, and she knows how to unload her stresses with a good book or quick game on her electronic device.
• … it’s also knowing what to do when times of stress hop on my shoulders and I feel like I’m carrying the weight of the world. Think it through, make a plan, pitch the stress into a mental corner, and come back to “life” ready for the next challenge.
• … long quiet drives down unfamiliar roads do an immense work on my psyche… A great recovery happens in my truck, or even on my tractor.
• … knowing which photo moments engender a relaxed state. Instagram has given me many ways to find a moment of refreshing – serene vistas that unloads the stresses weighing down life. (Click the Instagram link and you’ll find one of my relaxing places to visit.)
• … connecting with a long, lost, and distant friend. They are few and far between that you can open up with, share a memory, and a laugh.
• … it’s being in control, yet, learning how to let someone else be in charge at the appropriate time. It’s all about knowing when to “let loose”…

You have to know yourself and find the tools that will help you cope with yourself back into a refreshed state.

Chatting with mom a few minutes ago she mentioned that someone asked why she works the flower beds and sidewalk shrubbery so much. “I enjoy being outside…” Think about that! As kids, we always worked Saturday morning around the house, and in the yard. It was how life was lived. I never found it relaxing, but mom did! Those rows of shrubs moved around the yard many times before they finally got too big to move!
She was having stress relieving fun!

Here’s my thought today.

I took a moment and looked up “refreshing” in the King James Version of the Holy Bible. It only shows up twice. One as a prophecy for the future, and the second as the commandment for the present (and future).

For with stammering lips and another tongue He will speak to this people,
To whom He said, “This is the rest with which You may cause the weary to rest,”
And, “This is the refreshing”; Yet they would not hear.
(Isaiah 28:11-12 NKJV)

Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out,
so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord,
and that He may send Jesus Christ, who was preached to you before,
whom heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all things,
which God has spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began.
(Acts 3:19-21 NKJV)

To the church, we understand that refreshing comes from God, but it happens when we do something on our part. Our sins keep us from the true refreshing. Think about it. That which is at odds with our creator keeps us from truly enjoying the refreshing that we need.

• On a practical level, refreshing comes when we yield to the activity that brings us sweet relief, and when we do it regularly and appropriately then we are living on a more level surface, regardless of the mountain or valley in front of us.
• On a spiritual level, it’s that moment when we find release as we pray, read, worship, and devote ourselves to God – and this requires discipline to keep ourselves on track. It’s often within the discipline that we find truly refreshing.

It’s my view that you cannot do one … without the other.

You may proclaim you are not a spiritual person, but I do not believe anyone is devoid of spiritual thought. This world is bigger than we understand it, and it is constantly showing us just how small we are. A spiritual person often looks for understanding from something bigger than they are themselves. You may not recognize this in yourselves, but that’s yearning for something spiritual. Else, you may feel lost when you look into the dark caverns of space…

So. Find yourself an activity that releases stress and brings refreshing. Practically. And Spiritually.