Relax Your Jaw

As I fixed breakfast, my thoughts drifted to the day ahead. There were meetings to attend, projects to complete, emails to send, phone calls to make, and on it went. The next time I printed out my to-do list, it occurred to me, I should use a smaller font so it would fit on two pages. I grabbed my breakfast and some coffee, and dashed off to get ready for the day.

I picked up a devotional publication I had been reading, and it fell open to a section titled “Practical Tips for Resting in Jesus.” One tip was “Make a conscious effort throughout the day to relax your jaw, stop clenching your teeth, unfurl your brow‚ and let your shoulders drop.” I laughed out loud at the mental picture.

Before I knew it, I was back into rush-and-stress mode. There was just so much to do!

My first task was Bible story and activity time with my co-worker’s two-year-old daughter Aisha, so her mom could get a jump on her day.

As I read the story of Daniel in the lion’s den—always a favorite—and Aisha colored an activity page, making Daniel’s face green and his clothes blue, I realized how I needed to take a lesson from her. She wasn’t worried about the day ahead or how many things had been left undone the day before.

I tried counting my blessings. The first thing that came to mind was that I didn’t have to worry about being thrown into a lion’s den.

Aisha looked up from her coloring and smiled. “Relax your jaw” flashed through my mind, and I determined to not allow the pressure to get to me that day. I would trust and rest in Jesus, even if I didn’t accomplish anything else.

I dropped off Aisha at her pre-school and launched into my “real” workday. Jobs piled up, but amazingly I didn’t feel stressed. At the end of the day I collapsed on my bed, tired and ready to sleep, but I wasn’t down, I wasn’t worried about all the work that awaited me the next morning, and I didn’t have my usual I-need-to-get-away-from-it-all thoughts. I felt happy, loved, and at peace.

I’ve decided that I like this new way of life, trusting the Lord and enjoying life and work and all the challenges that come with it. I don’t always get it right, of course, but I’m determined to keep at it. And I relax my jaw a lot more.

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Philippians 4:6 ESV – Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.

Proverbs 12:25 ESV – Anxiety in a man’s heart weighs him down, but a good word makes him glad.

Ecclesiastes 11:10 ESV – Remove vexation from your heart, and put away pain from your body, for youth and the dawn of life are vanity.