Do not say, “I will recompense evil”‘, wait for the Lord, and He will save you.

Proverbs 20:22

Greta was an angry woman who was addicted to food, money, and control-and  her addictions were working together to make Greta miserable. How could she get rid of these insidious emotional leeches that seem to hang on so tightly? In her own power, she couldn’t! Step two of the Twelve Steps is: We came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.  This is a big step. Greta had to turn upward as she looked inward.

The oral tradition of this step breaks it into three parts that Greta learned to use every day. First, she ” came”, which means she reached a place in her life where she realized she was needy and the answer was not within herself. Next, she ” came to”;  she faced the fact  she could live a healthier life without the emotional crutches of her addictions. Finally, she “came to believe”-she accepted that she couldn’t do it by herself, but she could do it through God.

I remember when Greta prayed, “Lord, I can’t get over all my anger toward others and my shame  about myself without your power. Give me the power today to have love and not hate for  myself and others. Lord, help me to come to believe you are the strength I need to meet my trials for today. Amen”

Thought:  I will “come to believe” today trusting that the Lord-not I myself-will save me.

It is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late.

Psalms 127:2

Every Mother’s Day some well-meaning  pastor reads the section on the virtuous woman from Proverbs 31.  No doubt you have sat in the congregation and gritted  your teeth as this woman’s many accomplishments were extolled. Verses like “She also rises while it is yet night” [v. 15] seem guaranteed to lay a guilt trip on any woman.

But nowhere does this passage say that the woman  accomplished all  her feats in a dayor even a year! In light of the entirety of Scripture, I am certain she did it in the  appropriate seasons, in accordance with her family’s needs and her gifts and energies. To accomplish what she did, she must  have known the value of rest.

Rest is so important for human beings that God made it the basis of the fourth commandment. When we don’t take time to be refreshed, little issues  become big issues, and problems mount. The warning signs that  we have been overdoing it are chronic fatigue, apathy, and the inability to make it through the day without caffeine. In our fast-paced, overstimulated world, it’s easy to experience one or more of these symptoms. That’s why our Lord tells us to get some rest. It’s part of His plan for even the most accomplished woman.

Prayer:  Lord, give me the good sense to know when I am tired. At those times help me to leave my cares in your loving arms.