Let Your Hair Down

Remember as a child that coming home from school brought such relief.  Maybe your mom had a snack waiting as you entered the door.  Maybe you ran directly to a clubhouse or designated area just for you.  Maybe you shot some hoops, rode a bike, took a walk around the neighborhood or some other activity to release stored energy.  Yet, maybe just plopping on the couch to vegetate until supper helped you relax.  Whatever the choice, it was so nice to be released from all the rules placed by the school, leave the eight hour confinement and let your hair down.  Throughout the school day, you had to raise your hand to speak, walk in a straight line, eat at the assigned hour, use the restroom at specific times and complete the assignments given.  A little child experiences much pressure in their days.  As parents, let us offer them a safe haven to return to after a long day.

As an adult coming home from work, school and/or the 'real world', do you feel the same relief as in childhood?  Wherever we may report to each day, rules exist, eight hour+ confinement occurs and stressful situations arise.  Lunch times are assigned, bathroom breaks must be approved, assignments have deadlines attached and pressures weigh heavily on our shoulders.  We rush home only to find a bill in the mail, yard work waiting, supper unprepared, kids in need, pets demanding attention and bedtime creeping closer.  Is home a safe haven?  Can you let your hair down in the place you work so hard to keep?  What brings you relief?

Ultimately, God brings relief to all situations.  But, God never intended for our lives to be jammed packed with busyness that leaves us empty, drained and stressed.  He would love to see you revert back to childhood in this area.  Go back to a time when you released all the tension from your day.  Being an adult does not mean you cannot enjoy life.  God blesses us with a job, home, children, pets, food and rest.  He trusts us to care for these blessings in a way pleasing to Him.  But, He does not intend for these items to exhaust our being.  Exhausted, frustrated people have no use in furthering His Kingdom. 

If we ran our kids ragged the moment they returned home from school, they would become sick; physically and emotionally.  Well, the same goes for adults.  If we never chill, find comfort, enjoy pleasures in this world or let our hair down; we will become sick; physically, emotionally and spiritually.  Nothing is left in us to further His kingdom.

I am guilty of running too much, feeling guilty for taking part in something just for pleasure and neglecting my own needs.  As I do this and refuse to chill out, I become resentful to the ones I serve.  I think, "Why can't they see my exhaustion and give me a break?"  Or, "They reap the benefits of my work and never once take the load off me."  These thoughts are selfish and lead only to destruction of any joy in my life.  It is time to rid myself of these thoughts.  It is time to create a safe haven for me to rejuvenate. 

 "A happy heart makes the face cheerful,
   but heartache crushes the spirit." (Proverbs 15:13) 

The same goes for you.  Seek God for wisdom on what pleasures He has waiting for you.  Ask Him to clearly show you when the opportunity arises or for Him to open your schedule to allow for relaxation.  We cannot continue spinning our wheels day after day.  We need some down time.  Forget dusting the living room, let the yard work go for another day, dine out or eat leftovers and let the laundry lay.  There is something much more important to be done; your health depends on it - FIND RELIEF.  The world tries to tear us down daily.  Find a safe haven to return.

Pull out your favorite video and vegetate on the couch.  Draw a hot bubble bath and take a good book with you (lock the door behind you so little feet cannot enter).  Grab some chocolate and sit in silence while your taste buds jump for joy.  Bring out that outfit you bought for special occasions, put it on and go out on a date with your spouse.  Plan a girls/guys night out.  Go for a walk.  Crank up your favorite CD and dance. 

Make a list for yourself.  Take part in one a week or even one a day!  Trust me, you will be better able to serve others as God intends.  Take care of yourself.  It is not a sin to experience pleasure in this world.  God provides so much for us and smiles when we smile.  Just as parents love to offer a safe haven and a place to release all the pressure from their child's day; God loves to provide opportunity and blessings to relieve pressure from your day.  Run to Him for guidance and He will offer peace.  Don't feel guilty for caring for your needs.

God, thank you for another day.  Thank You for creating things in this world which bring pleasure to me and provide joy in my life.  Thank You for offering time daily for me to chill out and relax.  Free me from the guilt I feel when doing things for pleasure.  Show me opportunities to relax and put other things on the back burner.  Guide my actions and words so they are pleasing to You.  I love You.

Keep praying harder than the devil can work.
Sheree Craig