Freeze and Melt

By Erika Davis
Since the beginning of September, I’ve been interning in the school counseling office at an elementary school in Washington Township. For the past month, I’ve been able to work with kids as little as 5 years old all the way up to 11 years old. We work through everything from academic struggles to general school anxiety, and I have found several techniques when working with the kids that I feel can apply to my personal spiritual walk.
One such technique is called “Freeze and Melt”. This skill is used to help students who are struggling with controlling their emotions in the classroom. The general idea is that when you feel like you want to scream or hit something, you “freeze” the problem by clenching your fists so tight that your arm muscles shake. After holding that squeeze for 10 seconds, you let the emotions “melt” away by slowly unclenching and relaxing your whole body. I’ve seen this technique work with kids across the board in controlling classroom outbursts.
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” - Matthew 11:28
This practice got me thinking about how often we try to hold on to the struggles we face on a daily basis. With the school year really kicking off now and life getting busy, we grasp as tight as we can to our schedules and responsibilities. We often think that if we can just keep things under our control, we can handle it. We freeze our hands around every burden and chug along. For me, it’s been balancing school, internship, work, and being a mom. The age old, “God only gives us what we can handle,” plays as a mantra in my head. However, God never directed us to handle everything on our own. He gives us what we can handle, but He also gives us the tools necessary to handle those tasks. One of the most useful tools in our belt is our ability to cast our cares upon God and allow Him to bear our burdens.
There is something that happens when we physically practice something. Like kneeling during prayer, or raising our hands during worship, there can be a deeper connection with our thoughts when our physical body gets into it. My task for you this morning is to make a list of all the burdens on your plate. What roles are you playing in life right now? After you make the list, crumble the paper up in your fist and freeze. Squeeze that paper with all your might for 10 seconds. Then, give it to God. Let the paper fall away and in that act, surrender what you have been holding so tightly to.
Personally, I feel much more relaxed and capable after giving my burdens to God. I hope you can find rest this weekend in His power.

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