"Calgon Take Me Away From the Stresses of Life"

Maybe many of you can remember the Calgon soap commercials that had the hook of "Calgon Take Me Away". The commercials would visually play out different stresses of life that one could be going through and that a Calgon bath was the perfect escape from it all. What are your daily stresses of life and what is our means of escape? What's your method of coping and relieving stress? Do you even have a way or know how to appropriately relieve stress? Often times we run to things like baths or other forms of coping, but miss the one true escape that has the power to move or release you from your temporary stress to a testimony of long-term blessings. Often our ways of coping are microwave actions that can lead to more long-term stress. We need stress relievers that in the short and long-term provide tools that lead to a continual ability to rest, rejuvenate, restore and renew without all the temporary fixes that only mask and never truly take away the root the problem cause our stress. It's the difference between a band-aid and new skin liquid bandage (One stroke protects the wound by keeping out dirt and germs and provides protections against infection with an antiseptic). Although baths and some other methods can be good, when is the last time you tried God and His word as your means of escape? Have you heard the saying "a good book can take you places you've never been before". You never have to leave your chair and can go on so many adventures. The bonus about God's good book (His Word--the Bible) is that you can not only go places you've never been before. He has an example and way to handle everything you could be possibly going through, and He can supply your every need to carry you through life's "stuff". Talk about a stress reliever. With who else can you cast your every care, stress and concern and have it handled for you. Only with God have I experienced letting go and letting Him and with certainty He comforts me, sends my help, strengthens me and doesn't give me more than I can handle. Heck once I give "it" to Him I see that He's already taken care of "it" for me. He really didn't need my help after all (LOL). His Word is like an open book test that I can't fail unless I choose not to read it for myself. He's even anointed others to gift me different translations and devotionals to help bring it to my various levels of understanding. From Moses to Mary. There are plenty of life's lessons that I can read in His Word that gives me a road map to the promise and at the same time showing me all the mistakes I don't have to make along the way because of those that have gone before me are teaching me. Isn't that a true blessing that we all can gift to someone else? Reaching back and teaching/showing someone through our testimony how to go about their journey and the blessing of not having to make the same mistakes we did because we are giving them a bridge over their trouble waters. That's God's Word--a constant "bridge" (not just an escape but a passage: the act or process of moving through, under, over, or past something on the way from one place to another). It's the difference between taking trips and vacations. A friend of mine once told me to "stop tripping and take a vacation"! Now you've heard it from me!! It's time to stop tripping and get in God's word, His presence and trust Him. He's preparing your vacation as we speak. It's the best choice you could make today to get to your much needed vacation of long-term joy verses temporary escapes that lead to moments of fake happiness!! STOP TRIPPING AND TAKE A VACATION!! Be intentional about what bridge you take today to relieve your stresses of life!! I was awaken at 3:45am and wrote this blog. I hope that it blesses you as it did me to awaken to it and share it with you!!