On my way to Israel in March of 2017, (I went there specifically to spend time with Jesus) I got out a piece of paper and a pencil and started to listen.
Jesus gave me one word. “Relax”.
I was thinking about the people I was going to meet when I got there. And He gave me this little message.
“Relax. you are going to see that I chose real, ordinary people with real ordinary lives to be My friends. I choose you, too. Just follow.”
“Yes, Jesus.”
Toward the end of my trip I rented one of those cool city bikes and rode the boardwalk along the Mediterranean Sea to the town of Jaffa. I wanted to see the fishing boats, and the nets…and I ended up at an old warehouse with an outdoor cafe’. There, on a chalkboard was this sign “RELAX”.
Really? What are the odds? (Pictured at the top of this post)
It was hanging by a cluster of megaphones. As if to shout it at me. Which doesn’t seem very relaxing. Shouting is the opposite of relax.
However, it did occur to me, that with all the noise in my ears, mostly made by my own thoughts, it is time to quiet myself. It’s time to simply follow. Jesus chose me. He chose you. No worries.
Unclench. Be at ease. Calm. Loosen up. Sit back. Soften. Unwind.
So I did, and I am. Jesus, help me! Relax is a lifestyle-change word for me. A word for a whole season, not just a day. My husband has gotten ahold of it. Yep. He uses it on me now.
“Just until you get it” he said.
Most recently, I heard it when I was I was traveling home from Oregon back to Texas. I was seated next to a man who didn’t welcome even the slightest conversation. And that was fine. I was fighting a sore throat and didn’t really want to talk…but somehow I still felt it was important for me to share something of the goodness of God. I was feeling stressed about the situation. Stress is the opposite of relax.
RELAX! The Holy Spirit said. If I wanted you to talk, trust you Me, I would tell you.
Haha. So true. I never did talk to the man, but four hours later, the plane landed and I found myself standing in the isle ahead of an older couple.
Me: Are you going home or away?
Them: We’re going to see his brother. He’s in the hospital fighting cancer. It’s stage four. He has almost no hope of making it.
Me: I’m so sorry! Here’s a little story you might like. I was in that same place, end-stage cancer, no more treatment options…just a few years back.
Me: Yes. And here I am. I did what the doctor said, and put my trust in God for the rest. He is where healing comes from.
Them: He isn’t doing what the doctor says.
Me: Well, he can put his trust in God…for more. There is hope!
They were very quiet, then…
Them: Thank you so much for telling us this story.
And we got off the plane.
That was it. Relaxed but also fruitful because I didn’t push Him to unfold it. It was a little seed, or maybe a little water. The beauty is, they can never un-hear it, and God will be faithful to use it. I know He will because He loves them. God loves people.
Relax is my word for this season. I’m a natural activator, an achiever…but I can also just be His daughter. He loves me too…and not just for doing things.
Time to relax and let that sink in.
Do you have a word for this season of your life? I’d love to hear it!
