A Psalm for the Stressed

 Psalm 131

 Lord, my heart is not ^[a]haughty,
Nor my eyes ^[b]lofty.
Neither do I ^[c]concern myself with great matters,
Nor with things too ^[d]profound for me.

² Surely I have calmed and quieted my soul,
Like a weaned child with his mother;
Like a weaned child is my soul within me.

³ O Israel, hope in the Lord
From this time forth and forever.

Why for the stressed? Because a lot of our stress is from our own choices, choices from thinking we can do "it" all, that other people need us and can't do "it" without us, that we should take care of "it" for them when they should and can do "it"--just not our way.  We don't say no.

In other words, haughty and lofty (proud and arrogant). 

We get in over our heads.  

So start with your own choices. Personally, I am getting tired of people asking me to pray for them because they made bad choices and want rescued. Myself included. 

Calm your soul. A weaned child no longer needs the mother's milk; he/she can feed himself/herself and has some autonomy. Quit acting like you don't have a choice.  It's a very powerful metaphor. 

Start now and put your hope in God, not yourself, from now on.  

Short and straightforward, and I need it today because I am stressed and it affects my sleep. I am letting it form choices.