Spa Devotional: Take Me Away! Julia Bettencourt

I can remember when I was a kid growing up seeing those old Calgon bath product commercials that said, "take me away!" Now that I'm a lot older and have children of my own, I've come to a better understanding of that phrase. Sometimes we need to be "taken away" from the daily grind. Our bodies are made to have a time of rest. If we don't rest from time to time, we'll get worn down and perhaps damage our health. Resting rejuvenates us.

I'm all for a little bit of pampering from time to time. Did you know that being "taken away" and pampered in the presence and love of Christ is a wonderful way to take that little restful trip that we need now and again? Come along with me as we peek into our spa kit and see what we can find.

Candles. A great way to begin a little relaxing is to think about how Christ is a bright light in a dark world. Just knowing that He is the One who can reach out and give rest for our very souls is such a wonderful thought to pamper us. It's like a wonderful scent to come over us and soothe our senses. Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.    Matthew 11:28-30

Soap. Another way we can pamper ourselves is to rest in the knowledge that Christ can forgive our sins. To know that Christ can lift all of the mire and dirt of sin off of us and save us for a life with Him is heaven is such a soothing thought. Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.    Psalm 51:7

Bath Beads/Salts. Resting in the Lord can make us forget about our worries. Christ has a way of relieving our tension and soothing all of those achy muscles that we get from straining against the world each day. All we have to do is to allow Him to take those cares and worries from us. We usually associate pampering with not doing any work but allowing others to do the work for us. I'm so glad we have a God that we can give our worries over to and He'll take care of them. He'll do the work for us. We don't have to give those cares a second thought. We can let go of our day and let God take care of things. We can rest in the fact that God is still in control. Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature? And why take yethought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.    Matthew 6:25-34

Sponge. Sometimes when I need to relax and rest, I don't just have worries but also hurts to give over to my Lord. It may just be a culmination of a lot of unkind words I've encountered throughout my week or little things that have just tugged and dragged at me until I feel wounded inside. I'm so glad I can rest in the fact that Christ can sooth those for me. He can make me feel better. Christ can lift my spirits when I'm overwhelmed if I just let Him. From the end of the earth will I cry unto thee, when my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the rock that is higher than I.    Psalm 61:2

Pumice. I know that all pampering doesn't always feel good. When we use a pumice stone on our feet to remove the calluses, it doesn't always feel pleasant but it smooth's our feet and gets rid of the dead skin so new skin can grow. Sometimes the things we go through in life aren't all pleasant but we can rest in the fact that we know Christ means them for good. He has a way of taking all the scales off of us; removing the dead skin, and making us grow so that we can glorify Him in our lives. It is good for me that I have been afflicted; that I might learn they statutes.    Psalm 119:71But he knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold. Job 23:10 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.    Romans 8:28

Bath Pillow. I love knowing that when I need to slow down and relax, I can lean my head back and rest in Jesus. I can go to Him in prayer and talk with Him. I can give everything over to Christ. There are poems and old songs written about resting in the bosom of Jesus. Do you know what that means? A couple of the dictionary definitions from Webster for the word "bosom" help us see it a little clearer. - The chest conceived of as the seat of the emotions and intimate feelings.-The security and intimacy of or like that of being hugged to someone's bosom. Isn't it wonderful that we can give everything over to Christ on such an intimate scale? He knows all about us, even our inmost thoughts. I think about Psalm 139 where David talks to the Lord about how God knows him so personally. It brings such peace to know that we can have a relationship with our Lord where we can just tell Him all of our intimate thoughts. We can lay everything over to Him and be confident that He hears us and is concerned for us. We not only can tell Him our prayer requests but we can also lay all that emotional baggage we carry onto Christ. We can give our anger, hurt, frustrations on up to our happiness and joy over to the Lord knowing that He understands. Wow! That is relaxing to think about. Casting all your care upon Him; for he careth for you.    I Peter 5:7

One way of resting in the Lord is to slow down long enough to praise Him. Pausing to reflect on our blessings and the God who brings those blessings can bring a song to our hearts. There are so many passages in the Psalms concerning praising the Lord. When I need a mini vacation, I find that reading through those can really rejuvenate me and ease my load of cares. Thinking on the Lord has a way of restoring us. Praising God makes us think less of our day-to-day cares and more about the great God that He is. When David wrote Psalm 56, His life wasn't a bowl of cherries. His enemies were pursuing him but when David praised God, everything fell into perspective. In God will I praise His word: in the LORD will I praise His word. In God have I put my trust: I will not be afraid what man can do unto me. Thy vows are upon me, O God: I will render praises unto thee. For thou hast delivered my soul from death: wilt not thou deliver my feet from falling, that I may walk before God in the light of the living?    Psalm 56:10-13

Slippers. Have you ever had a pair of slippers that were just comfortable to slip on and they relaxed you? I think that some of the Scriptures that I've memorized are that way. In times when I need a rest, I slip those Scriptures on and relax in them. We've all got different bible passages that we know and that have great meaning to us. Those are the ones that we cling to when we are scared, lonely, or don't know what's ahead. Here are some of my comfy verses. They feel so fluffy and soft to me. I've worn them over and over but I hope you'll try them on and relax in them too. Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for Him: fret not thyself because of Him who prospereth in His way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass. Psalm 37:7 Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because He trusteth in thee. Isaiah 26:3 Delight thyself also in the LORD; and He shall give thee the desires of thine heart. Psalms 37:4I wait for the LORD, my soul doth wait, and in His word do I hope.    Psalm 130:5

Conclusion: I hope you are inspired by the things above to just take some time to relax in the presence of the Lord. God doesn't want us to be idle Christians, but I think He does want us to rest from time to time. Even He went away by Himself at times and prayed when He was here on earth. I've seen too many Christians burn out lately. We seem to want to go, go, go. There's nothing wrong with making progress but God made our physical bodies to go in cycles. We need rest in order to be productive. What better way to be productive Christians than relaxing in the presence of the Lord? When God was talking to Moses about leading the children of Israel from Egypt, He said, ...My presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest.    Exodus 33:14

You may not get to have an actual getaway to a ladies retreat or even a vacation, but don't forget to take time to slow down and reflect on Christ and walk and talk with Him. He'll rejuvenate and refresh you like nothing else will.

So, are you ready to relax?