Come and reset with me for a minute.

You know how thoughts can build up in your mind? And then those lead to more thoughts, more worries, more things swirling around and around and it feels difficult to escape for a moment's rest. Or maybe not so difficult to escape... hello scrolling - thanks for helping me cope today...

If you are like me at all, maybe you don't allow yourself to feel the feelings fully. Often I find myself keeping busy, watching TV, reading, or having some sort of noise or task to occupy my brainspace. I am aware that the swirling thoughts and anxiety are there under the surface, but I try my best not to give them the time of day.

But let's be honest here: scrolling (or your other escape of choice) is not lessening the anxiety. It doesn't remove the swirling thoughts, the built up worries; it just delays them for a period of time. 

You know who I've found that does help? The Prince of Peace. Let's meet with Him together, right now. Can we? Pause your day for a second, stop the scroll, grab a journal or find a place where you won't get weird looks for talking out loud for a few minutes. 

Now dump. Dump every single thought that has been troubling you. It's ok if it starts off slow or feels unfruitful at first. Just stick with me. Write them down or speak them out loud, just dump them out to Jesus ok? He's big enough to hold all of the feelings and concerns you are carrying. And take your time. Really let all of the built up stuff out. As you dump it or after you finish, take some time to breathe. Remind yourself of the truth: He is right there with you, right now, in all of the muck.

I think of this line from Shrek often:

"Better out than in, I always say."

Doesn't it feel good to dump it all out? Letting it out so it's not swirling in my mind feels like life to me. My hope for you today is that Jesus, the Prince of Peace, will come meet you in the dump. Can we just pause a moment and acknowledge His presence here with us?  How kind is He to come and meet us in this moment? Can we thank Him for that? 

And finally, give some room for Him to speak to you, or even just to let peace settle over you. Take some time in the post-dump moments to see what the Prince of Peace wants to do next.