Setting Captives Free

In memory of my Daddy. "Papa Leo" 10-13-20 to 7-8-10

Set The Captives Free --- Second in the Series "Just Be"

You can see the first post in this series HERE.

When I ponder the phrase "to just be", my first thoughts are that it means to just stop moving, to be still and do nothing. It reminds me of the Bible verse that says "Be still and know that I am God", Psalm 46:10

I can think of all kinds of ways to keep my body still.... sleeping comes to mind..., but can you keep your mind still?!!!

A hymn I was singing in Church this past Sunday contained the verse, "setting the captives free" and I began to think of all the things I've kept captive in my mind.

It seems to me that if we are going to "just be", our minds need to be focused on good, peaceful, pleasant things.

So I came up with this list of "captives" that we can try to set free. I say try because some of them are very hard to release. But, all we can do is keep trying and let them go at least temporarily while we are trying to "just be".

1. I know this applies to every single human being. FORGIVE! But, its so hard to do. Think of the people in your life that have hurt you the most and pronounce that you have set the captives free! They might not even know you are holding them prisoners.

2. Those people and things that irritate you every day. The things that happen aren't even that important, but we let them stress us out. Set the captives free.

3. Its so easy to take offense at the smallest things. We don't have to let ourselves get angry so easily. Don't take things personally. Set the captives free!

4. Worrying never changes anything. If you are trying to "just be", set the captives free!

5. Are your expectations for yourself and others set too high? You are only human and can only do so much. Set the captives free!

6. Any mistakes made in the past bothering you? Move forward, fix what you can, and set the rest free!

7. Be aware of your thoughts. If Negative thoughts creep in, set the captives free!

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The Art of "Just Being"

Here I am sitting on the front porch wearing my fake $6.00 rainbow flip flops with a cup of coffee, watching the world go by early Saturday morning.



You may remember my mentioning in an older post that my doctor always gives me a checklist at my annual checkup with things on it like: use sunscreen, take calcium, etc. One item on the checklist that always surprises me is the one that says learn to "just be".

I have to think about what this means sometimes. I know it means to let the stress of the day (or week or year!) go. To take some time every day to sit and just do nothing. To take a mini-vacation in the midst of the usual busyness of the day.

I see a trend of "just being" this summer on some blogs. There are lots of blog breaks going on and folks just naturally slow down in the summer time anyway. My blogger friend, Lyn is joining me on the quest to "just be" this summer. Won't you join us?

And if the doctor orders it, I need to do it, right?! So, I hope to do some posts this summer on different ways to "just be".

Today's tip: Stop and watch the world go by. Do you have a porch, deck or other spot where you can just sit and be? I know it will be hard for you to just sit somewhere and not do something else at the same time. Trust me, the stuff that's been taking up your time will still be there after your little mini-vacation. Grab a cup of coffee or glass of iced tea, and "just be" today.

The view from my porch where I can "just be" this summer: