Most people in Western society live their lives at a hectic pace, just trying to manage the “cobwebs” of life.  They wrestle out of bed in the morning before getting enough sleep; or they are groggy from too much sleep; or they even suffer from too much “self-medication” such as alcohol, prescription drugs or other substances to numb the pain and escape the stress from the night before.

So many of us wander through the day just trying to put out fires--- living up to unmet expectations, jumping through other people’s hoops or reacting to situations, all because of faulty thinking, and internal pressure—pressure from self or pressure from others.

What would it be like to begin to cut away at the myriad of webs and break away into the freedom of being your true self?  What would it be like to truly know the fullness of the love God has for you---without the pressure of performance? What would it be like to break away from past hurts, forgiving yourself and others—letting go of resentments once and for all?  What would it be like to really and truly enjoy Life, People and God?

Last week my husband and I left our home near Sacramento, CA and drove to LAX (a mere 7 hour drive), to board a non-stop flight to San Jose, Costa Rica.  We have been planning this trip for months.  I have always had some amount of discomfort with the cold weather in the “winter” months and so, now that the kids are grown and mostly out of the house, we decided to take the risk to spend most of the month of February in a warmer climate.  Some friends of ours offered to let us stay in their little “tico” just outside of Manual Antonio National Park on the Pacific side of Costa Rica.  So, here I am in my tank top, shorts and flip flops looking out over the crystal blue patio-side pool out onto the Pacific Ocean where a small yacht is lazily moored in the bay outside the “nacionale parq”.  

Why so downcast, oh my soul?  So, why is it that when we first arrived at this little spot of paradise I felt so undone?  Why was I anxious and on edge?  Why was I trying to control every little thing that my dear husband was doing?