Refreshed

Do you remember how it feels to stand out in the rain with your face toward the sky and your arms up in the air? Think about how rewarding it is to stand in your shower and let the warm water pour down your back. Oh, how refreshing! The word refresh means to give one new strength to or to reinvigorate. I love rainy days, because dancing in the rain like no one is watching is good for my soul. If you haven't tried it, I suggest you eagerly await the next rain shower so you can dance in the rain.

Let's think about all that you do every day. Most days you manage to get up, go to work or school or perhaps you are a stay-at-home mom/dad, or a caregiver for a family member or someone else. Sprinkled into your busy day are additional activities like grocery shopping, being a taxi for the kids, going to doctor's appointments, preparing dinner, and anything else that may arise during the day. Sundays are usually for worshipping and spiritual fellowship, visiting the grandparents, or perhaps catching up on a week's worth of laundry or finishing that homework or project that you have waited until the last minute to do. Whew! Just thinking about all of this makes you feel tired. And that is assuming you are healthy and able to do it all. Add in an occasional cold or any other illness or injury and you can easily become overwhelmed.

To protect your mind, body, and spirit, you must take time to refresh or reinvigorate yourself, not once in a while but every day. For example, if you are mentally exhausted, then your physical body will begin to suffer. If your spiritual life is broken or weak, then your mental health begins to suffer. If your physical body is not well, then your mental health and spiritual life suffers because you feel so bad. It seems to become a never-ending cycle of personal deterioration if you don't take the time to refresh yourself! One of my favorite verses is in Psalm 51. "Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me." (Psalm 51:10 KJV)

Refreshing yourself means to step away from the chaotic moment you find yourself in and refocus yourself. Sometimes finding a quiet place and taking slow, deep breathes can bring calmness. Some people like to take a hot shower and let the water run down their back. Some people may grab their Bible to read or listen to calming music. The important thing is that you must find a way to take a break from whatever "crazy" you find yourself in. And if "crazy" seems to follow you, set up some personal boundaries to protect yourself.

Setting boundaries can be very hard and may hurt someone's feelings, but it must be done for your own mental health. For example, protect some "you' time by budgeting 20 minutes every day to sit outside and decompress. I like to sit on a porch swing or a doorstep. Sometimes I just sit in my truck in total quietness. Or maybe spend 30 minutes doing something that makes you feel fulfilled. Take the time to find what you like to do that brings you a happy heart. Setting a boundary could be as easy as not answering your phone for one hour after you get home. Another boundary could involve using a crockpot to cook dinner for you after a long day of work. How nice to open the door and smell a delicious meal already prepared! What boundary can you set that will protect your mental health?

I remember one day I became very overwhelmed at work and felt as though my mind would explode if one more person complained about seemingly trivial stuff. It was getting close to lunch so I decided I would jump in my truck and drive down the interstate with the windows rolled down and the music blaring. I lived about 30 minutes away so I pretty much drove home, with the speed control engaged of course, and then turned around and drove back to work. That 'lunchtime' refreshing allowed the wind to blow through my hair, clear my mind, and I was able to enjoy some inspirational music blaring so loud that it made my heart thump to the tune. The only thing that would have been more relaxing would have been for me to toss my bra out the window! I know that sounds funny, but it was the truth. From the time I jumped on the interstate, to the time I returned back to work, I mentally tossed every overwhelming burden out my window. One thought at a time, out the window! Now I could have looked in the rear view mirror to see where all those burdens landed, but I did not because I was tossing them AWAY. No need for a rear view mirror if you are facing forward! The exciting thing was that when I stepped back into work, I was fully refreshed, even light-hearted and giddy, and definitely much more clear-minded. The time that I had taken allowed me to reset my mind, body, and spirit. And it felt so good!

The reason why I chose this picture of water drops on the leaves of my rose bush was to see how delicate the rose bush was and how the beads of water looked so refreshing. They were so refreshing that I never even noticed the thorns! I love it when God prompts my heart to pay attention to unsuspecting things around me. And usually I try to capture a picture of 'it' so that God will continue to speak to my spirit. This is a perfect example of why you have to take a moment every day to catch your breath and refocus on what God wants you to see from His perspective. Taking a moment of reflection is so simple and it reinvigorates you deep down in your soul. I encourage you to pause and be refreshed.

"Rejoice in the Lord always, again I say rejoice!" Philippians 4:4 (NKJV)