This Morning Madness

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There are times when no amount of slow breathing or relaxation excercise will achieve the goal of inner rest and calm. Our agitation at the demands and duties of life can accumulate to where we cannot resource our own peace.
This morning a thousand thoughts and anxieties rushed at me and took my wind before I was even fully awake. They were each insistent that they were the priority of the day, each threatening that if I didn't give them my full attention I would pay the price. I felt literally overwhelmed.  My frequent response is to seek a caffeine or sugar rush to enable me to kick start my day and gain the upper hand in some measure.
'I NEED coffee!' my body screams. 
 Our conditioned response to pressure is so often to seek an adrenalin 'kick start' that makes us feel alive enough to face the challenges of the day. These can come in various forms, and as we know, practices become habits which become lifestyles that affect our health and lead to other issues. 
In the midst of this cocophany of demands there was one small voice that chimed in with a familiar scripture. Psalm 23. The Shepherds Psalm. 
'The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want'
It was a small whisper in the crowd, but as I gave it my attention it became more insistent and louder. 
'The Lord is my shepherd. I SHALL NOT WANT.' 
I started to repeat the phrase, emphasising different words at each pass. 
It started to work. 
The violent tug of war between my mind and body started to give way to my spirit. 
'The LORD is my Shepherd, I shall NOT want...' How does the rest go? O yes. 'He leads me by quiet waters, he makes me lie down in green pastures...' 
My heart rate steadied. The crowds of demanding voices receded. Feelings of hope strengthened, and my sense of possibility was gradually restored. 
Now it's not my plan to do an exegesis on the psalm, you can read Tim Kellers awesome book for that. My offering for the day/week is that this is a common experience for all of us, and that how we start the day often sets the rudder for our day, or our week.
But here's the thing. What an amazing reality it is that we have a good shepherd who knows how to make us lie down! A shepherd who can each day restore our hope and confidence and who promises to meet ALL of our needs. Wanting things; whether it be appetite, affirmation or ambition, is the engine of our culture, and each day we awake to the challenge of life by the flesh or the spirit. The tug of war between our mind our body and our spirit. Each has its needs. And the only reliable and satisfying source to have them met is with the Good Shepherd. 

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