Dear Ones,
Hope you have an enjoyable weekend! I plan to clean the apartment and have an appointment. and our grandson may stop by on his way to the Cities.
Devotions from Judy’s heart
Would we say we are present to our families and friends or are there times we are on overload from work, and they only get a small piece of us. Perhaps we are all guilty of bringing home the emotions and thinking of those around us in our work-a-day world to our families. We fail to pause on our rush to get home to take time to wash off the attitudes from the world and be ready to engage with our families. That is a mistake and if we drive to work, there is ample opportunity to pray on the way home and ask the Lord to cleanse us and settle our emotions so that we don’t infect our families with stresses of the world.

If you’re in a job that is highly competitive and your workday is full of stress, it is especially important to deprogram before you get home. Several of the churches we were in had the parsonage right near the church, so Al had only the walk across the parking lot to leave the stress behind and be ready for family life. Most of you have more time to deprogram and release the pressures of the day before you hit home. Those of you who work mostly from home are especially challenged as it takes more flexibility to switch gears often during the day. Our son has his office in his home, but he can take the dog for a walk after making a presentation on zoom before he gets ready for what is next.

Each of us need ways to deprogram and to release the stresses of the day, so we can be present to our families. Otherwise, the drama of work fills our minds and we need to air out our emotions so God’s peace can blanket us. When both parents work, they may be glad to see each other when they finally get home but their minds can still be filled with meetings at work, proposals to make etc. It’s good to give each other some space to just release the negative emotions of the workplace and quiet down; perhaps even a quick shower helps. Use whatever time you have before engaging with family to give all the emotions and stresses of the day to the Lord and make room for His peace to fill you afresh.

Challenge of the day: Put to memory today Colossians 3:15, “Let the peace of Christ rule in your heart since we are members of one body, you were called to peace and be thankful.”
Blessings on your weekend and prayers and love, Judy