Have you ever seen the movie, My Big, Fat, Greek Wedding? I laugh for days each time I watch that movie, and as a person who enjoys natural remedies, I am most entertained by the grandpa that uses Windex to heal what ails him. He uses it for everything: an aching back, skin rashes, even frozen car locks. Windex is definitely not a cure all, in fact, we know that it’s chemical poison when it comes to the human body. But, here’s something that I believe IS a cure-all!

 The Cure for anything is saltwater: Sweat, Tears or the Sea

1. Sweat: Haggai 2:4-9 is one of my favorite “sweat” verses in the Bible. In short, it says, “Be Strong, declares the Lord; Work, for I am with you; Fear Not, My Spirit remains with you.” We need to try and move everyday. In fact, our main detoxification system- the lymphatic system, doesn’t move and process toxins unless we move. In addition to that, I believe that there are two different types of sweaty workouts:

1. The kind where you’ve got to get a frustration, an emotion or a mood out. You know the kind- where you work hard and intense, where you push and sweat flies off your body with force.
2. Then there’s the workouts of surrender. Where you come to your mat, a walk or a run, needing a reboot. A shift from where you are into something better- stronger- less reactive. Those are the workouts where your heaviness slides off your body with each drop of sweat. Both are equally as nurturing. 

What kind of workout do you need today? Let your sweat meet your body’s needs AND quiet your mind so you can commune with God more effectively.

2. Tears: There are two kinds of tears too.

1. How about those happy tears you cry, when you laugh so hard your belly aches, and the tears of absolute delight flow freely. Oh, I love those tears! Or on that same happy theme, the tears of gratitude and pride in someone you love and adore. Those tears come from the heart, and they are rich and sweet. Tears of joy, laughter and thanksgiving are good medicine.
2. And then there are the tears of heartache, disappointment and despair. Did you know that those tears are important too. Researchers have shown that those tears- the tears of pain, are laced with toxins. Ever feel relief after a good cry? There’s a lot to that, but at the very least, it’s because your tears have helped you detox. I’ve heard it be said that the emotions we stuff away without release causes us cancer and a borage of other conditions. Our bodies and our emotions are deeply connected- so cry those tears that result from pain. They can help fix us too.
3. Did you know that your tears are precious to God. In Psalm 56:8 the Bible says, that God keeps track of all of our sorrows. He collects them in His bottle, and records each one in His book.” The Greek word for this bottle is better translated as a wine-making flask. “God sees every teardrop, saves them like the finest grapes, then transform your heartbroken tears into something beautiful, rich, and life-giving that will quench another’s thirst and bring comfort and joy to many.” 

3.  Sea: You may or may not like the ocean. But I know this, the sound, smell and surrounding of the sea soothe and medicate the soul. I'm amazed at how God Almighty spoke the oceans into existence- a force so vast that it covers the majority of our earth and sustains over 60% of the world's population. But yet has transferred its magnificence into bite-sized elements that speak directly to our own five senses. That's our God! So big, so mighty, so strong, yet so personal and direct. Everything in creation points back to its creator. Never forget that He loves us more than the lilies, which He clothes in splendor (Matthew 6:28-29) 

Want to go to the beach with me? In your mind’s eye, let the experience of being at the ocean enliven your senses. The way the sand feels under your toes, the crash and rhythmic sound of the waves crashing on the beech, the cool breeze across your skin. Even remembering the time spent at a beach can bring relief to what ails you.

Let’s not stop there. The sea leads me to the concept of rest and refreshment.  It makes me think about vacation!

Maybe you’re like me, and the ocean doesn’t do as much for you as the mountains. If so check out Psalms 23:2-3 from the Voice translation. These verses make my soul exhale:

“He provides me rest in rich, green fields beside streams of refreshing water. He soothes my fears; He makes me whole again, steering me off worn, hard paths to roads where truth and righteousness echo His name.”

 Let’s dream about that landscape for awhile!

• What does rest and refreshment look like to you? Is it a nap, a day without the use of technology, the gift of presence?

•  If you had one day all to yourself to rest and refresh, what would you do? 

"We need to find God, and He cannot be found in noise and restlessness. God is a friend of silence." ~ Mother Theresa

• What are some daily, weekly, monthly and annual rhythms that you can use to foster rest and renewal for your soul?

 "I indeed was this and that; but God came and a marvelous thing happened. Go to the margin where He does everything." ~ Oswald Chambers