No worries, Mon!

"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important....But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." Matthew 6:25-34Last week Travis and I went with some of our friends and business associates to Montego Bay Jamaica! The weather was perfect, not a rain cloud in the sky, and the best part was we were with great people at an amazing all inclusive resort. For the time we were there, we had no worries, mon! But something I noticed was as we got onto the plane and headed back to our home that life's daily stressors like catching up at our jobs, taking care of finances, back to eating right (haha aw man), and just anything else that comes our way started creeping back in. I no longer felt the cool breeze on my skin as we sat with ice cold drinks and bathed in sun. It made me realize how much stress and worry we, as human beings, live daily in our lives without realizing. I read an article once that said most people have such high stress levels that they don't even realize they are so stressed out. The Bible tells us not to worry about tomorrow, but do we listen?Here are just a few things that I have put into action to make sure that I keep my body out of the "stress overload" zone.

1. Get quiet time with God and yourself- One of the things I loved doing in Jamaica was going out on our balcony and just reading the Word, journaling, and honestly, at times just sitting at night listening to all the different sounds. It relaxed my body and allowed my mind to focus on one thing at a time. I had so much clarity and revelation because I was able to drop all the worries of daily life and then just listen. Now I don't have a balcony that overlooks such an amazing view at home, but I do have places I can go to if I really need a place to set my eyes upon and clear my head. Create a place for you whether it's in your home, backyard, a park, or even the beach that you can go to and truly just sit with God.
2. Realize that His plan is ALL INCLUSIVE- All inclusive literally means everything included, Where we stayed had 14 restaurants and all kinds of stuff for us to do! We didn't have to worry about paying for every meal or paying to learn how to windsurf or sail a hobie cat, we literally just walked up ate (or played) and left, because it was all already taken care of. It's the same thing with God! The life of a believer is All inclusive. Once we fully accept Christ, we are accepting His plan for us and if we follow Him, He includes everything necessary in our lives to fulfill the plan He placed in front of us. The Bible verses I shared above demonstrate how we shouldn't worry about how we will eat or be clothed, because God has already taken care of that. He doesn't want us being so concerned with all the small things, when He has larger things in store for us. At home we don't have the luxury to walk into a restaurant or a grocery store and walk out without paying, but we do have a God first home and because of that we don't have to worry about any kind of surprises, because it was already included in His plan for us and we know He is taking care of it!
3. Before you get out of bed set a mindset for the day- Every morning I would wake up thankful that I was experiencing island time and stress free living. I set a plan for the things I wanted to do, but I also felt like I had all the time in the world. This is so important because you want to wake up thinking the best. When you first wake up you have billions of new cells that need to be programmed properly and the first couple minutes of your waking life are doing just that. So wake up and make a decision that today is going to be a great day. Fill your mind with the promises of God by reading His Word and realize that Island time can be anywhere.

So the next time life's daily stressors try creeping up and boggling you down, remember that God intended us to live in Eden and to have no worries, mon!