I don’t know about you, but there are days that creep up on me when I feel like my back is up against a wall…when I’m in over my head with what needs to be done…when I feel trapped by what I have to do versus what I want to do…when I could use some time off from everything, but that doesn’t seem remotely possible. Ever feel that way too? I’ve noticed that I can go a very long time living on the edge, and really not mind it…I have to admit that I’m one of those people who has a hard time sitting still. But then, sometimes when I least expect it, the littlest thing can suddenly push me over the edge.

Usually it’s because I’m beyond overtired…I’m exhausted. And one of the dangers of letting yourself get to this point is that in that crazed state of mind, you don’t think completely rationally. And one of the only objectives you can focus on is how to relieve the pressure...in other words, how to quit something, anything, or everything you’re doing. But that’s not the time to make decisions…it’s the time you need to force yourself to stop and get some rest. You need a “time out” so you can think clearly again! Even Jesus needed those times of refreshing and rest! So with the holiday season coming up and all that gets added to your plate this time of year, make time to stop…to rest…to just breathe in life…to pull yourself back from the edge, before you fall off! And that’s not just a good idea…it’s an idea straight from the heart of God to you!

Psalm 23:1-3 NCV ~ The Lord is my shepherd…He lets me rest in green pastures. He leads me to calm water. He gives me new strength.

Some days I feel like a turtle…meaning, I’m feeling sort of shy, not very confident, and unsure of the steps I need to take that day. Now, if I didn’t have to leave my house, it would be just fine to pull my head back into my “shell” and have some turtle time! But my life and my work are all about people, which I really do love. I love interacting with people, and I love to ask questions that help me discover all kinds of interesting things about them. What spells trouble on a “turtle day” is that, in those conversations with these poor unsuspecting people who have NO idea of my turtle feelings, it feels like there’s a synapse between my brain and my mouth…and the words just don’t come as easily. At those times, frankly, sometimes even I wonder, “WHAT is she talking about?”

So what do I do on those “turtle days”… that oftentimes happen on the days when I most need to be able to make intelligible conversation? I’ve learned to realize that I can’t always say everything perfectly, it’s okay to be quieter once in awhile, and I don’t have to feel responsible to make sure every conversation is a “10!” I can just be me, even on a turtle day…and trust God that He’ll help me to live my best that day, despite my temporary turtle persona. Trouble isn’t always about the big things we face in life…it’s whatever we face that tries to steal our joy and cause us to feel out of sorts with our day. So if you’re having one of those troubling “turtle days,” let Him help you come on out of your shell,,, and be comfortable just being your best YOU today!

Psalm 34:17 NLT ~ The LORD hears his people when they call to him for help. He rescues them from all their troubles.

When I was growing up, one of my favorite games to play was hide and seek. I loved finding a place to hide that would challenge my friends in the seeking process. But the key to my really enjoying the game was to be sure I didn’t hide so well, I couldn’t be found. I was small for my age, so I could wedge myself into some of the tightest spots, where no one would ever suspect a person (even a runty one) could or would hide. And that seemed exciting at first…to have found such an awesome place to hide. But when no one found me, and I was left just hanging out in that tight spot for too long, the fun wore off. The fun was in being found!

I thought about that this morning when I read that God loves to be found too! There are wonderful truths about God “hidden” throughout the Bible. But if you’ll seek His help to find them and understand them, He can always be found…because He wants to be found! So this morning, I did what I loved to do as a child…what I still love to do as an adult. I opened my Bible to “seek” Him, and I found Him “hiding” right out in the open! I love it that He doesn’t “hide” so well, He’s hard to find. It makes me love Him even more than I already do…and the best part about that? Well, read it for yourself!

Proverbs 8:17 MSG ~ I love those who love me; those who look for me find me.

Got Some Jungle Fears? When I was a little girl, I had an inordinate fear of quicksand. Why? Was I born in a place where there was quicksand that I passed on my walk to school every day? Did I know someone who had suffered a slow demise in quicksand…which we only knew about, because we later found their hat resting atop the quicksand? No! There isn’t any quicksand where I grew up. And I didn’t know anyone who had perished in quicksand! So where did that fear come from? I had watched too many Tarzan movies! And if I want to be really transparent with you, I had a number of other “jungle fears.” It sounds funny to write about…in fact, I laughed when I wrote this. But at the time, those fears were real…they were terrifying…and they literally caused me to lose sleep.

Sound like something you’re experiencing now? I’m not talking about “jungle fears,” but the kind that are close to home. Maybe you’ve had sleep-stealing fears about your finances, health, or relationship problems with your spouse or kids. Or maybe you feel fear rise up in you every time you listen to the news. Fear is no laughing matter. So what can you do about it? Realize that fears will attack your mind, but you have a heavenly force to combat them…it’s called faith! Faith that God is will never leave you or forsake you…Faith that He’s at work in the difficult situations of your life…Faith that He has a good plan for your life…Faith that He is your protector, provider, healer, comforter, and friend! But you’ll only have that force of faith if you go after it and grab hold of it. Because the thing that got people free from being sucked down into quicksand in those Tarzan movies was when they grabbed hold of something strong and pulled themselves out! And it’s no different with the fears that try to suck you down. So grab hold of the thing that will help you get free of your fears…faith in His strong and sure promises!

Hebrews 10:23 AMP ~ So let us seize and hold fast and retain without wavering the hope we cherish and confess and our acknowledgement of it, for He Who promised is reliable (sure) and faithful to His word.

This past weekend, my husband and I went to the Minnesota State Fair. I haven’t heard the total of how many other people were there that day, but I’m quite sure there were over 200,000…yes, that’s a lot of people! Well, it so happened that my son and his girlfriend were also going to be there, and I really wanted to meet them at some point. But when we called to see where we both were, we realized that because of the crowds, it would have been too hard to find each other. So we started to walk towards the exit…very, very slowly because the streets were jammed with wall-to-wall people. We’d gone about a block, and I was starting to feel claustrophobic…when suddenly, I glanced to my right and saw that the sidewalk was far less crowded. So we ducked under a barrier and walked into a cloud of smoke from the “pork chop on a stick” stand (which was most likely the reason the sidewalk was less crowded).

Well, when we emerged from the cloud of smoke, there were my son and his girlfriend standing…eating a pork chop on a stick! God had led us to “happen” to cross over onto the sidewalk at JUST the right time, in JUST the right place…RIGHT when they “happened” to be there! Now some would call that chance, but I know in my heart that God had given me the desire of my heart to meet up with my son and his girlfriend. And I know that He loved doing that for me! And I absolutely love that about Him! He cares about what we care about…even the littlest things. So chalk that up to chance? Not a chance!

Psalm 37:23 NLT ~ The LORD directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives.

Do you ever have days or weeks when you feel like God seems distant or far away? Why is that? Is it because He’s busy taking care of the needs of people in third world countries…and He just needs you to get by without His help for awhile? Or is it because He’s upset with you about your recent behavior and is giving you the proverbial “cold shoulder?” Or is it because He needs you to grow up and stop depending on Him so much? I don’t think so...in fact, that couldn’t be further from the Truth! So why do we have those times when He seems galaxies away, and our relationship with Him feels about as warm as an iceberg?

I know that in my life, I’ve noticed that those times aren’t because God isn’t paying attention to me. It’s because I’m not paying attention to Him, and noticing all the myriad of ways He is daily attempting to demonstrate His love and nearness to me…like last week. I had to take a flight alone to another city. I was feeling anxious about the trip, tired, and emotional that morning. Well, the flight began to fill up…but no one came to sit in the seat next to me. And it was as if I heard the Lord say, “I’ll sit next to you…I’ll be with you during this entire trip…and I’ll even hold your hand.” Now, I’m rather pragmatic by nature, so I don’t usually do what I did next. But I leaned in towards the seat next to me, put my hand over into the seat, imagined I took His hand…and I felt the tenderness and nearness of Him in that moment. I was reaching out to be close to Him, and He was there for me in the sweetest way that reminded me He is always close, always near. He’s near to you too…He’s never far away…you’ll discover He’s as close as the space next to you, if you’ll just take the time to notice.

James 4:8 NLT ~ Draw close to God, and God will draw close to you.

Psalm 63:8 NLT ~ I follow close behind you; your strong right hand holds me securely.