A 113-year-old man, when asked the secret of his longevity, replied, “When it rains, I let it.”

Stress is the trash of modern life—we all generate it but if you don’t dispose of it properly, it will pile up and overtake your life.—Terri Guillemets

I have a riddle for you. What could seem to make a little more work now‚ but save much more work in the long run?

Here are some hints. It is mentioned repeatedly in the Bible, and those who have accomplished the most for God have all depended on it. It is a life-altering concept, but also one that is often hard to grasp because it goes contrary to natural reasoning.

Share your problems with Jesus, and let Him carry them.

Job 22:21: Now acquaint yourself with Him, and be at peace; Thereby good will come to you.

Psalm 55:22: Cast your burden on the Lord, and He shall sustain you; He shall never permit the righteous to be moved.

I realized recently that I had been giving myself a “grouch allowance” when certain things happened.

They were mostly trivial things like having to clean up a mess when I was tired or my husband being late—things that I could have easily gotten through if I hadn’t predetermined that I had the right to get grouchy in those circumstances.

You do well to take time with Me first thing in the morning, for you are powerless without the strength you draw from Me, you are foolish without the wisdom you learn from Me, and you have no love to share with others unless you first get it from Me. Without Me, you would continue on in your own little world and be limited to your own meager resources. Your human strength would run out before the day had scarcely started, your own thoughts would get in the way, and you wouldn’t go far on yesterday’s store of love. But when you come to Me, I open the boundless world of My Spirit to you. I am wisdom, I am strength, and I am love.

A Persian fable says, one day

A wanderer found a piece of clay

So redolent of sweet perfume,

Its odor scented all the room.

“What are thou?” was the quick demand.

“Art thou some gem of Samarkand,

Or spikenard rare in odd disguise?

In his article “Temple Time,” David Brandt Berg describes a vision he had of a group of people in a spacious glass-domed room, like the central rotunda of a large public building.

The people were standing quietly and looking up through the dome at the star-studded sky, taking deep breaths of heavenly air that descended through a hole at the top of the dome, and hearing heavenly music. Meanwhile, other people were rushing around in the wings, wearing themselves out, seemingly oblivious to what was happening in the rotunda.

I see your struggles and hear your calls for help. When you feel all alone, I am there. I feel your heartaches, and wait for you to come to Me in prayer. Come into My sanctuary, into that secret place that you and I can share. There I am able to lift the worries, the cares, and the confusion. There I can restore your feeling of purpose and infuse you with strength to go on.

Life can be a struggle, but you do not have to struggle alone. Many times I have placed burdens in your life that seemed like mountains. They weigh your spirit down and you wonder why I have placed them there. I have not done these things to reprove you or as some sort of punishment.—I have done them to bring you closer to Me. I know your heart better than anyone else ever could, and love you more dearly.

I usually enjoyed the ride into town on my motor scooter, but that day my mind wasn’t on the beautiful scenery or the perfect weather. It had been a busy previous two months. One coworker and I had tried to keep up with every aspect of our volunteer work while the rest of our team was away, and now that they were back, instead of the rest I had hoped for, the workload had increased.

I really deserve a break, I thought, but there’s not much chance of that! Enveloped in a fog of self-pity, I never saw the speeding motorcycle until it crashed into me.

The day is coming to a close. You’re tired, perhaps even drained from all that you’ve needed to take care of through the long hours. Sit still for a moment or lie back in your bed. Read this message from Jesus, then close your eyes and reflect on it. Let Jesus soothe your nerves, relax your tired body, and fill your spirit with His love and peace.