what it means to relax...

So, as Jules and I have journeyed through this thing called pregnancy we have come to the time where Julie is having to sit back and "try" to relax. Now, this has been easier said than done, because she is an incredibly driven and active person. She loves to do projects around the house and clean and work in the yard. So for her to stay off her feet has been somewhat of a challenge. I, on the other hand, have no problem relaxing... in fact, I'm quite good at it. I'd go so far as to say, I am a genius at relaxing because no one needs to force me to lay down and take it easy. Some people may call that laziness... I call it having an unusual talent for resting...

Whether you find it easy to kick back or not, even the best relaxers can become overwhelmed by anxiety, stress, and worry. I can be awakened from an otherwise sound sleep with my mind racing with the thoughts of the approaching day. It's easy to be jolted back to reality from an all-out veg fest with the worry of tasks undone, or relationships that have faltered, or the uncertainty of major life events or decisions. So, how do we cope?

I remember as a kid going through major periods of anxiety. I mean, seriously worried about going to school or doing homework... and I would get a little panicky. Then one day a simple question entered my mind... "What's the worst thing that could happen?" I started to think about the reasonable consequences of a given situation and asked, "What's the worst thing that could happen?" Now, that tactic works well for a child. I mean a child probably won't be thrown out on the street if he doesn't do well on a test. A child probably won't have his electricity shut off if he forgets to do an assignment... Sometimes the ramifications of adult decisions or mistakes are pretty serious.

But, yesterday our pastor referenced a Scripture that has really stuck with me and reminded me that the eternal consequences of life don't have to depend on my past mistakes or actions... they are entirely up to God.

Though the mountains be shaken
and the hills be removed,
yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken
nor my covenant of peace be removed,"
says the LORD, who has compassion on you. Isaiah 54:10

You know, our worlds may fall apart. But the Lord is a God of compassion and his love does endure and his peace can reign in the face of anything... if we but lean into him.

the comfort of organization...

Julie is now in her 32nd week of pregnancy and of all the things that we have prepared for one thing I didn't really see coming was nesting. Over the last 4 months or so, Jules has been organizing and reorganizing and prepping the house for our incoming little buddle of joy, and it has been an interesting sort of dance to witness and participate in. One area, she decided to get straight was my record collection, which over the past year has grown to 60 volumes. Her solution was to get two crate-like boxes and make alphabet tabs to help me keep them in their right place, and to be honest... I love it! It's such a great comfort to know exactly where everything from The Black Keys to The Rigtheous Brothers is located and to be able to put my hands on them easily.

This comfort reminded me of a passage in 1 Corinthians 14 where Paul is giving prescriptions for worship, and he says in verse 33 that "God is nota god of disorder but of peace..." and in verse 40 he tells us that everything should be done "decently and in order." Now, Paul uses something of God's very nature to make comments about worship, but I think we could take his line of thinking and apply it to all areas of our faith. Too often people try to exercise faith and develop with no real plan on how to do it. It's the willy-nilly approach to Christianity. But there's a problem with that... it doesn't work. I'm saying this from experience. If you really want to get good at anything, and that includes developing a deep and abiding faith, you need to get organized a develop some sort of plan. Why? Because when you falter, as we all do, you can go back to the plan and start again. There's comfort in organization... And God is not a god of disorder. (caveat - this is meant for those who understand they can't earn salvation, but want to grow in the salvation that God has graciously given through Christ Jesus.)

Helpful places to start your plan.

Bible reading and prayer - the two go hand-in-hand and serve to focus your day on serving the God who made you, regardless of your profession.

Community building - church attendance and groups is vital for accountability and encouragement and learning - because the Bible is not always so easy to understand

Service - make active Christian service a part of your routine. This helps keep a godly "don't think of yourself more highly than you ought..." perspective