“Get up! Eat something!” 1 Kings 19:5 (The Daily Life Bible)
I wrote “Surrender” in my prayer journal and scribbled a message to God: “I don’t know how to let go. Help me!”
As my husband left for work, he said, “You look tired. Why don’t you rest?” I just looked at him. Rest? How? I had obligations. Still wearing my bathrobe, I hurried upstairs to my office with a cup of coffee.
Around noon, my friend and mentor DiAnn called. She works at home too. I admire her level headedness, so I told her that I felt chained to a treadmill.
“Oh, Julie,” she said, “your body’s a temple of the Holy Spirit. Take care of yourself.”
Her kindness pulled at my heart. “DiAnn, what’s your daily schedule like?” I asked.
“I get up early, have my quiet time, exercise, take a shower, and dress.”
“In normal clothes?”
“Yes.” She laughed. “So I can answer the door. I eat breakfast too.”
“You do all of this before sitting at your computer?” “Yes. Always.” DiAnn promised to pray for me and offered another nugget of wisdom: “Don’t isolate yourself. See people.”
After we hung up, I took three more steps on my surrender journey. For the first time in months, I ate breakfast. I even accepted a lunch date. Then I prayed the Serenity Prayer.
God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and wisdom to know the difference.
