Praying To Be Able Today To Relax And Enjoy All I Have Been Given

JUST FOR TODAY – Relax and Enjoy

Here’s another “Just For Today” commitment we seek to make in order to have a great day.

Just for today I will take a quiet half hour all by myself to relax, think about, and enjoy all that God has done and continues to do for me.

We live in a world that can keep us on edge.  The life God invites us to recover, if we’ve lost it for a while to worry or fear or anger or addiction, is one that includes taking time to be quiet and enjoy the natural surroundings in which we live.  God gives us an example by His own action. 

Then God looked over all he had made, and he saw that it was very good!  Genesis 1:13

God took time to reflect on all that He had created.  When we take time to relax and enjoy our environment, our emotions will settle down and our thoughts will be free to take notice of the things we have accomplished and the natural loveliness of the world around us. 

The habit of noticing and giving thanks builds optimism and well-being into the deep recesses of our souls.  Instead of constantly worrying and being on edge because of what we don’t have, and all that isn’t right, we will be strengthened and uplifted by the reality of who God is and what He has done and will do.

One of the most familiar Psalms is the Bible begins with these words that just invite us to enter into this quiet place of peace and rest in our soul.

The Lord is my shepherd; I have all that I need. He lets me rest in green meadows; he leads me beside peaceful streams. He renews my strength.  Psalm 23:1-3

The choice each day is ours: anxiety and stress or confidence and relaxation.  God clearly explains the choice to us and the consequences of our choice.

Only in returning to me and resting in me will you be saved.  In quietness and confidence is your strength. But you would have none of it.  Isaiah 30:15

Heavenly Father, Please quiet our hearts and minds and help us take time to appreciate and give thanks for Your many wonderful gifts in us and around us today. Help us to follow Your lead and spend time in paces that for us are “green pastures and still water” – places where our soul can be restored.

Help us to put down those things that keep us distracted and occupied in meaningless ways and let the goodness of Your presence, Your creation, and Your healing Word renew us from the inside out.   Amen

Okay that’s the challenge for today:  to take a quiet half hour all by ourselves to relax, think about, and enjoy all that God has done and continues to do for us.