HEART SPA

After all the busyness of the holidays, I constantly say, “I need a massage, I need a facial, I need to go to the chiropractor, I wish I had a  spa appointment!” Do you ever feel like this? You get worn out, stressed out, and have too much going on to take care of yourself. Then,the holidays are over, you get everything put away, and your back aches, your skin is blotchy, your nails are a mess, and you’ve gained some weight. Something needs to be done!

I’m actually very excited that I get to use a gift certificate from my “daughter-in-love” this week to go to a wonderful spa and get a facial.I have been looking forward to this for several weeks! Why? Because it’s relaxing, it always smells so good in the spa, it’s quiet, I can be alone and pampered, and when I leave my skin is like silk and I feel like a “new me!”

We often think about our natural person, but do we also think about our inner person? Our heart? Today the Lord began to show me that His women need a “Heart Spa!” Do you feel an “ache” inside from pain that you have gone through? Is your life “blotchy” from the results of bad attitudes and sin? Are your relationships a mess? Have you been “overeating” on things of the world instead of God’sWord?

Wouldn’t it be amazing if we all looked at our hearts in the same way we look at our natural being? How great would it be to say, “ I need time with the Lord, I need an hour to pray, I need to set aside some time to sing and praise the Lord, I need to get “adjusted” through the reading of the Word!”

I think just as we sometimes feel guilty taking time for ourselves in the natural to go to the spa, we also can feel guilty when we take time with our Lord for a “heart spa.” But, we need to consciously pursue a spiritual “heart spa” as much as we pursue other things!

As we are looking forward to this new year and planning our calendars, we need to plan time for the Lord and get refreshed in Him. How about making an appointment for a “peace treatment” with the Lord at the “Heart Spa”?

John 14:27 says, “ I am leaving you with a gift—-peace of mind and heart. And, the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid” (NLT). Because we women commonly experience more stress than peace, we need this special “treatment” of peace! Medical research estimates that as much as 90% of our illnesses and diseases are stress-related. And, as women, we are nearly twice as likely as men to be afflicted with them. The good news is that Jesus has given us a “free gift” of peace, and it’s available any time we decide to stop and turn our hearts towards Him…quietly and purposefully. This peace is different from the peace the world can give us. The world can give us a restful retreat, but only Jesus can give us peace of mind and heart.

So, intentionally plan your time with the Lord. Put it on your calendar. Seek Him and you will find the best “heart spa” there is. You will leave this spa completely refreshed and rejuvenated. And, instead of taking a chocolate mint with you, you will take the gift of peace instead!