♪A Note of Thanks ♪
“Anxiety in a man’s heart weighs him down, but a good word makes him glad.” Proverbs 12:25 (ESV)
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your request be made known to God.” Philippians 4:6 (ESV)
Last Christmas, I received a most unusual gift from Richard and Patti Hitchcock. Patti said, after I had opened it up, “Now we want you to display this prominently at the River House.” It was a large wooden cut-out with the word, Relax. I have it displayed on the top of the TV, so that as I’m resting on the divan or wicker chairs or as I walk through the sitting area to go outside I am reminded to ‘Relax.’ That being said, I have a question for all of us to ponder, “Do you know how to relax?” I asked my almost 89 year old father that question about two months ago. I said, “Dad, when did you learn to relax?” He said, “Oh, about 12 years ago.” I quickly did the math and thought to myself, I don’t want to be 78 years old when I learn to relax…that’ll be 25 years from now.
After talking with some close friends and also some wake-up calls of friends that have suddenly passed away from heart-attacks, strokes or other illnesses, I have really given a lot of thought and contemplation along with prayer and meditation to what I’m calling the ‘art of relaxation.’ We see by the scripture listed above that both in the Old and New Testaments there are encouraging words along with prayer and singing, all with an attitude of thanksgiving, to help us relax in the Lord.
I don’t know about you, but I’m one of ‘those people’ who like to make lists of tasks that need to be done, weekly, short-term and long-term. I’ve even written a list of the things I would like to do before I leave this life: simple things, dreams for my sons, dreams of places to go, playing the exciting and exhilarating, Widor Toccata on the organ before a live audience. I’ve thought about places to travel, like to Carrara, Italy (where the marble, like the Sylacauga marble is quarried), and where my friend Carlos Roppa, the sculptor, who sculptured the Martin Luther King, Jr. statue in downtown Birmingham lives. The last time I shared a meal with Carlos and his son, Steven, he said, “You come-a to Italy, and I’ll take you to the op-per-da!” I think that God gives us the ability and creativity to dream dreams. He shows us how to share His Love and Grace. The Holy Spirit is there to lead us and guide us as we face the difficulties of life. My friend, Larry FitzGerald, reminds me that many things in life are a process. We just go through them knowing that God will be with us and never forsake us. So, how is it with you? Do you know how to relax and meditate? Do you have a dream or dreams that you would like to see to fruition sometime in your life? Remember that God promised to never leave us. Join me, starting right now, today, with a renewed spirit and allow God to help you relax and rejuvenate your heart, mind, soul and body. What better time than now!
He Leadeth Me –Joseph H. Gilmore, 1862
He leadeth me, O blessed thought!
O words with heav’nly comfort fraught!
Whate’er I do, where’er I be
Still ‘til God’s hand that leadeth me.
Refrain
He leadeth me, He leadeth me,
By His own hand He leadeth me;
His faithful foll’wer I would be,
For by His hand He leadeth me.
Sometimes ‘mid scenes of deepest gloom,
Sometimes where Eden’s bowers bloom,
By waters still, o’er troubled sea,
Still ‘til His hand that leadeth me.
Lord I would place my hand in Thine,
Nor ever murmur nor repine;
Content, whatever lot I see,
Still ‘tis my God that leadeth me.
And when my task on earth is done,
When by Thy grace the vict’ry’s won,
E’en death’s cold wave I will not flee,
Since God through Jordan leadeth me.
Thank you God, for leading us to exciting places on our journey of life, as we learn to relax and rest in You. Amen.
It is a joy to serve along-side you…Your friend, Mark David Jackson
