Day 172 - Going Back to Basics

"It felt good to walk and have the warm sun on my back."

After a long day or a long week it is good to get back to the basics. For me a walk or something simple can clear away the thoughts and feeling of the day. Playing with my kids has actually been therapeutic at times. 

There is also something about warmth that is relaxing. A hot bath or shower, hot sun on your back or a heat pad can melt away tense feelings. It may be a simple pleasure but I love the warm sun on my back. 

There is also a basic stress relief found in the Bible. It is called casting your cares. It is so simple and relieves us of the stress. You simply take your burden to God in prayer and cast your care on Him. He can handle it. 

If you haven't done this in a while I would encourage you to take a walk with the Lord, cast your cares on Him and let the brightness of His glory warm your life and melt away the cares. God cares for you. 

What do you do to relieve stress after a tough day or week? What other scriptures help you to take your burdens to the Lord? 

Day 52 - Pray Pray Pray

"We prayed together and gave it to God."

Prayer is so simple it often escapes us. Prayer is talking with God. Prayer is connecting us to God. 

There is a release that happens when we pray. I love the image the book of Psalms gives when it tells us to commit our way to the Lord. It is the image of a camel under a burden who kneels down and rolls the burden off itself onto the ground. 

What a picture of what happens when we pray! We roll the care and the burden off our backs as we humble ourselves and give Him our faith and trust for the outcome. 

M.C. Hammer was right, we need to pray just to make it today. 

How do you feel when you pray? Do you feel that prayer is simple or complex?