Last time we spoken, I was reflecting on the need to be emptied.  This necessity to let go of everything and be filled again by God. This evening, I am going to discuss taking time to chill,  we all need time to relax and be with family and I think that Thanksgiving is the perfect holiday to do just that.  When I say chill, many think of hanging on the couch or using some kind of sedative substance to find this inner mellow.  To chill, according to Mo’s dictionary, is to take a moment out of a busy schedule/fast-paced lifestyle and to reflect on what’s around you in a manner of gratitude.  This goes beyond normal relaxation techniques and incorporates an attitude of thanksgiving as well.

I think we all accomplish a state of relaxation one day or another but I think that we miss the mark of incorporating an attitude of thanksgiving while we are relaxing.  Some of us relax because we are trying to lower our blood pressure, forget about the trials of the day, or we are trying to escape what we must face ahead.  Instead of being thankful for what’s around us,  we focus our thoughts on what we need, what’s next, what we have to return to, and how much life sucks in that moment.  This negative attitude ruins the effects of our chill and we find ourselves at square one.    If I thought negative thoughts while I was trying to reach a period of peace, I would be so frustrated that I would quit while I was ahead.

 The point that I am trying to make is that peace and relaxation is just as much about our thoughts and attitude as well as our decrease of activities.  There is no point for me to clear my schedule in hopes of chilling, in order to have negative thoughts. Can you imagine me sitting on my couch with cup of tea, my favorite soothing mix playing, thinking about how much my life sucks?  Those thoughts did not fit the picture of relaxation that I was trying to create.  What if I sat down with my tea and music and began to think thoughts of thanksgiving? What if I began to think about God’s grace and mercy to me?  What if for a moment I found time to chill?  To really chill?

 I think that it is in these moments, moments of thanksgiving and chillness, that we truly began to hear God speak to our hearts and comfort us through the trials and pain.  We begin to experience an inner peace like no other and come to the place where nothing shake us.  Our boss may yell at us, our dog may die, and our kids may act like they are on some other kind of stuff, but nothing will be able to shake us and our peace will remain . When we change our attitudes from an attitude of complaint to thanksgiving we will find ourselves in a state of a perpetual chill.  It’s time to chill!  

Mo