Struggling to find a job? Feeling stomped on by co-workers? Going through marital problems? Family discord. Rebellious children. Financial challenges. Medical issues. Or maybe you just lost a precious family member or friend.
You name it, and we’ve probably all faced it at some point. Pressure gains momentum as a culmination of events and issues take turns with their punches. Or it could be one major incident that knocks us until we’re staggering backward like a fighter in a boxing ring, squeezing the breath from our lungs until our vision blurs, the voices around us fading into oblivion.
We each handle stress differently. Some people thrive on it. Others tug the blanket back over their head and sleep. I tend to…
Run! Not run away because we all know that doesn’t solve any problems. But run to the mountains.
Peace speaks to my soul here. Whispers that everything’s going to be all right, that life is more than writing and books. That God is in control and that He’s infinitely greater than my paltry problems. Being here brings God more into focus, and the pressure lifts. I can breathe deep again, liberated from the chains of worry that squeeze my chest.
If we can’t break away for a weekend, then this is where I run…
Not quite the same, but it’s nice to escape my desk and the mountain of tasks demanding my attention and slip away for a few minutes.
This year has been crazy busy. While I’m beyond thrilled that four of my books released between May and September, that also meant long hours hunched over my laptop, trying to keep the momentum going with my current work-in-progress and the extra writing related to marketing four books. You know how, at times, events just keep piling on your calendar until suddenly you’ve lost control? That’s me this year, somewhere about April. I definitely needed a recharge, so we headed for the mountains over a long weekend.
It’s the same for hero Burk Harmon in Burk’s Surrender. As Deputy City Manager of fictional Harrison, NC, he deals with stress every day in his job, and as the oldest of the Harmon siblings, he’s been the glue that held his family together since their celebrity father’s tragic suicide. But he has a few weighty decisions to face. Like if he’s willing to risk his family’s emotional well-being with the increased visibility that accepting the City Manager’s position would demand, and moving beyond a decade of being “just friends” with Lacie. When she invites him to tag along with her and fifty elderly seniors to the mountains for a city event, he jumps on the chance to recharge. That, and spend time with her. 🙂
Where do you go to destress and recharge?
He will keep in perfect peace all those who trust in him,
whose thoughts turn often to the Lord! ~Isaiah 26:3 TLB
He’s my yesterday, my tomorrow, my today.
He’s my redeemer, my hiding place, my refuge.
He’s the grace who covers a multitude of wrongs, the beauty in my ugly, the bridge to forever.
He’s the restorer of my soul, the quiet in my storm, the still water of perfect peace.
He’s my champion, my hero, my rock.
He’s the sweet spot in my day, my reason for being,
my very next breath. ~Dora Hiers
Weaving a Legacy of Grace 