ManageYourEmotionsBook8.5x5.5_RevJULY.indd

should not be what shouldn’t be done, but rather what should be done: glorification of God and restoration of the soul.And if you’re like me, where Sunday happens to be a busy work day, pick another time – just make sure you’re faithful and consistent. Seek, also, to achieve restoration through nature. David found solace through the beauty of God’s creation, stating, “He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me besides quiet waters” (Psalm 23:2). Quite likely, David was enjoying such amenities while recording these words. I recently learned that “people today spend up to 25 percent less time enjoying nature than people did just 20 years ago.” 61 This absence of outdoor activity obviously leads to higher stress levels. Thankfully, we are not bound by that trend. In fact, those intentional about spending more time outdoors have better moods, increased creativity, and greater problem solving skills. “Nature is God’s reset button for our minds, bodies, and spirits. If you’re spending all day indoors, you’re missing the restorative power of nature.” 62 Obviously, there are scores of other practical ways to handle stress, such as exercise, hobbies, and other things that go beyond the scope of this text and space allowed.The internet teems with ideas, lists, and practical suggestions. Note next, from our text, that you must appropriate the Holy Spirit. David prays, “You have anointed my head with oil” (Psalm 23:5). He may be remembering that time when he was just a lad and “Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers,” a ceremony in which the spiritual significance far outweighed the literal placing of oil on the young shepherd boy’s head.As God’sWord says, “the Spirit of the Lord came mightily upon David from that day forward” (1Samuel 16:13). Lottie Moon, who literally sacrificed her life doing mission- ary work in China in the late 19 th and early 20 th centuries, wrote the following in one of her letters: “I feel my weakness and inability to accomplish anything without the aid of the Holy Spirit. Make

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