Do you cringe when people repeat themselves? I am guilty of repeating myself with the "oughta dos" and (heaven forbid) the "should dos." My neices, my husband, my friends all tell me…. "You are doing it again; telling us what to do." Well who made me so perfect? Poor Chuck! We are together in each other’s pockets so much, so, if I can get him out walking (yea!) then I try to get him to walk a "few extra steps…" He says, "Hey I’m out here, don’t push!" I tell him daily, "need to stretch; need to exercise and walk!!!!". I also chant "relax" when he gets irritated over small things. "Relax; it’s OK; it’s small," I chant. Until he says, "Stop telling me…. to exercise, to stretch, to relax!" Well who made me the expert anyway? I have a friend who laments that she didn’t "make" her husband see a doctor…" Needless to say, I commiserate, but I also realize we can’t "make people do stuff."
How many times are the same things repeated in Scripture? God repeats and repeats, "repent, be humble, pray, have faith, rejoice." It is so critical that we believe that we have a new deal with God who loves us. We get the new deal every time we turn our eyes inward to our hearts and say to God, "I’m sorry." What the Lord repeated is for those who have faith in him, "Be still, relax into my heart, lean against my chest, I am here." God would have us be at peace, trusting, not angry. Lean back, look up. God bless us. God bless America.