“When an impure spirit comes out of a person it . . . says, ‘I will return to the house I left.’ When it arrives, it finds the house unoccupied, swept clean and put in order.  Then it goes and takes with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there . . .” Matthew 12: 43—45 NIV

Some friends have graciously lent us their beach condo for a few days. The vast unobstructed view of the gulf waters right off the balcony should bring me peace.  But I have not let God’s beauty quiet my soul.  

My anxious thoughts and fears about “the book”, this first venture into writing and self-publishing, have plagued me. I have not been able to shutter my mind at night.  

Yes, I practice “giving everyone and everything” to Jesus as I settle into a relaxed position in bed. I breathe in deeply through my nose and release ever so slowly through my mouth, hoping that my body will relax and cause my mental state to match the slow breathing. 

But none of that worked.  For two nights during the early hours of the morning I conjured up possible issues with the cover design and uploading procedures, keeping myself both afraid and awake!

Yesterday morning, the Holy Spirit brought Jesus’ caution to mind. Simply clearing my mind and handing over issues to God is not enough.  When I mentioned to Mike the Lord’s example of the temporarily demon-free house, he reminded me of Paul’s suggestion of what to meditate on once you hand over your anxious thoughts.  It is not safe to maintain an empty mind.  

Whether it was Aristotle or the French philosophe Rabelais who originated the adage, “Nature abhors a vacuum,” it still holds true.

So, yesterday after lunch, as we walked around Fort Morgan and on the beach, I revived my “alphabet” practice of filling my mind with whatever is true, excellent and praiseworthy about God. 

I began with the letter A. Using English and several other languages, I prayed and praised the Lord for anything that began with A. For example:  “You are ALMIGHTY, ACCESSIBLE, ABLE, and ALWAYS faithful. Consistently You are A mi lado, ALREDADOR de mi, AVANT tout temps.” 

Then I moved onto B. “You are the BREAD of Life, das BROT des Lebens, BESIDE me.  You predestined me BEFORE time.

You get the idea.  If I thought of an attribute or event whose first letter I had already taken up, I simply slipped it into my praises.  During our two-hour walk, I think I got up to the Gs.  What mattered is that I did not allow my worry-free mind, the “house” in Jesus’ teaching, to stay vacant. 

Reviving that protocol definitely kept my anxious thoughts at bay. And I slept well last night. Thank you, Jesus!

This morning, I arose early to spend some time in prayer before we packed up to drive home. I’m reading through Ecclesiastes at the moment. Using the chapters assigned for the day, the Spirit nudged with a picture of how I had acted the previous two days. I am one to whom the Lord has given riches, such as these days on the Gulf, where sky and water kiss and the sun spectacularly splashes the horizon with heavenly hues. 

. . . his soul is not satisfied with life’s good things. . . Ecclesiastes 6:3 ESV

I confessed my sin, received God’s forgiveness and prayed to remember to enjoy each moment.