Five spiritual ways to worry less and get some rest.

Lisa and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day. Have you ever had one of those? I’ve found some ways to worry less and get rest even when these days happen.

Husband sick, the 4th straight day of rain, haven’t slept well because of pressing deadlines. But the real kicker was Password Jail. Usually when you forget your password, they’ll send you a text or an email and it’s simply a matter of changing it.

But what happens if you have an email account you don’t use as much and they send it to that email account? And there is no way to contact customer service. It would be easy to fix if I had a teenager at home.

Ah, for a good night’s sleep! I couldn’t turn off the to do list and concerns in my head. Tossing and turning, I awoke with no energy. How do we stop and get the sacred rest we need?

Five Ways to Rest While Worrying Less:

• 1. Use Bible Verses for Meditation:
  The Lord is my Shepard, I shall not want
  He makes me lie down in green pastures
  He leads me beside still waters
  He restores my soul. Psalm 23:1-3

Notice the wording here. He makes me lie down. God created us with rest being an important part of life and promises to restore us.

Here are a few more:

• • • In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, LORD, make me dwell in safety. Psalm 4:8.
      
    • “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.” Mark 6:31.
    • The LORD replied, “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.” Exodus 33:14
• 2. Create a Gratitude list.

Once in Maya Angelou’s life, she yelled at her mentor that life was driving her crazy. He suggested she write all she was thankful for, handing her a blank yellow pad. He persisted despite her initially not wanting to. When she finished exhausting the page, it changed her whole mindset and reflected on it for her future writings. “As I approach the clean page, I think of how blessed I am.”

• 3. Learn to Be Still.
  What is your favorite place in your home? A view out the window? Comfortable chair? Favorite blanket? How often do we calm our minds to hear the “still small voice” speak to us.”

“but the LORD was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake; 12 and after the earthquake a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire; and after the fire, a still small voice.” 1 Kings 19:11-12

• 4. Practice Giving Up Control
  I just finished Wings of the Wind by Connilyn Cossette and one of the main characters is worried about his wife, who is in danger. He is angry with God and shouts out, “Why?” He hears the words, “You are not God.”

Do we take on everything without God’s presence in our lives? Do we rush ahead and not realize we are in God’s hands? Yes, we need to show up and do our part, but when we release our worries and ask for help. There will be light.

• 5. Remember to Ask the Why in Our Lives
  A great mentor for me, Edie Melson, teaches writers about social media. She always begins by reminding us to ask why we enact on social media. It’s not about selling books. It’s about what God’s message has in our hearts. Understanding our purpose in life gives us a perspective that extends beyond ourselves. When we know the why, it helps us to prevail through challenges.

These are five spiritual practices I use to worry less and get some rest. I hope they will help you!

What would you add to this list? Be sure to comment below so we all can benefit.

Oh, and PS, with blessed sleep, I figured a way to get free from password jail.