Take It Easy?

     While “Take It Easy “has been my tagline in life since 1997, this life attitude has been in development throughout much of my childhood.  My personality make up is complex. On one hand, I have been known as an ambitious person who wants great daily progress in my life’s goals that I set. When I am intense, people have told me to just “take it easy” which makes me feel upset.  On the other hand, I have been equally known for my laid back personality that can take life as it comes so long as it does not deter me from my success.  When I am mild, people have told me to “pick it up” which also makes me feel upset. So I decided to take control of the message by branding my own version of what it means to “Take It Easy.” This has helped me to let people into my life so that they may know how God glorifies Himself through me. And thus learn how God can also glorify Himself through their uniqueness.

   My pastor growing up, Frank Johnson used to sign his cards or notes with the Bible reference Psalms 37:3-7.  I immediately loved these verses and read them often. In the midst of adversity, King David was focused on “trusting”, “delighting”, and “committing” to the Lord. Yet in verse 7 he states, “Be still in the presence of the Lord and wait patiently Him [God] to act. Don’t worry about evil people who prosper or fret about their wicked schemes. ” (NLT-New Living Translation)  It seemed to me in my sixteen year-old mind that these verses understood me in a way that one can be busy and focused while also being laid back.  In the years since, “Take It Easy” reminds me to take action on the daily opportunities for God to use my trust, delight, and commitment to Him in order to extend His blessings to the untransformed world.  

     This weekly blog will be a reflection on the highlights how God unveils His daily blessings by taking it easy even though I am busy. Sometimes this blog will be a reflection on my study of Scripture, and other times will be how I have observed the “Take It Easy” attitude unfold in my life as well as the lives of others around me.