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by Ami Samuels

One day as I was scrolling through my Facebook feed, I clicked on a post titled “Relaxed in God’s Grace.” I briefly scanned the article but I was struck by the title. “Relaxed in God’s Grace.” This reminded me of a time when I wasn’t relaxed at all.

I have gotten my nails done for several years. My first nail salon was in a mall in Kentucky. The young girls there almost always made my nail beds bleed. This is a very painful experience to say the least, so much so that I decided that this process wasn’t worth the pain and quit going back. A few months later I had a special occasion and I wanted my nails to look nice. A friend told me about another salon and I decided to give it a try.

My new nail tech’s name was Jimmy. What I remember about Jimmy was that he would always gently slap my hand and say to “Relax.” Because of my previous experience I had a hard time relaxing.

As I thought about Jimmy, it made me wonder if God often wants to gently tap my hand and say “Relax, dear one, I’ve got this.” I have often pictured myself climbing into Jesus’ lap and being cradled like a baby, but when I think of myself I realized instead of resting swaddled in his arms, often I am restless. I am more like a caterpillar fighting to get out of a cocoon - worrying, planning, praying, studying, and constantly trying to figure out God’s plan. That is NOT trust, rest, or peace!

Matthew 11:28 says, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”

Proverbs 3:5-6 says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.”

Today, mentally crawl up into Jesus’ lap and let him hold you in his arms. And relax, he’s got things under control.

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