“Sometimes the days just seem like a whirlwind.”  Have you ever said that or at least thought its equivalent?  Do you feel as if you’ve simply been swept from 2017 into 2018, barely slowing down at all for the holidays?  I actually made that “whirlwind” comment to Tina once, and heard her sleepily reply, “I know what you mean.”  You probably know, too.  Work, school, ball games, household chores, church, doctors’ visits, and the unexpected often keep you going at full throttle.  That whirlwind grabs you at first light, and then it deposits you back into bed way past the time you intended to get there.  You struggle to break the whirlwind’s grip, only to be sucked back into its vicious vortex.  You feel as if you’re coming to the end of your rope.  And you know what?  You probably are.  Right now you may be thinking, “Where and how do I get off?”  Well, here it is.  The Lord tells us in Psalm 46:10, “Be still, and know that I am God….”  If you do a word study there, you’ll find that the little phrase “be still” has the idea “to let go, slacken, cease, or leave alone.”  The way to beat the whirlwind we call life is to find a way to set all other things aside for some time with the Lord.  Meditate in His Word.  Relax in His presence.  Quietly converse with Him in prayer.  Stay there until you feel that sweet refreshing spirit wafting down from Heaven’s chambers straight into your soul.  That’s right, just you and God.  Then you’ll be ready!  The day may be just as busy as ever, but you’ll not only survive the whirlwind, you’ll find grace and strength to rejoice in the Lord, regardless of what the new year brings!