What time is it, boys and girls?

It’s Five Minute Friday time, of course.

For those unfamiliar with Five Minute Friday, it is a discipline where independent writers join together to transform thoughts on a specific prompt word from their minds through their fingers onto the screen in just five minutes {or so}. Then we get together and share our pearls of wisdom {okay, some times they’re swine, but the intention is always good} at our Facebook spot

This week’s prompt is RELIEF, but before I set the timer, let me introduce you to Leighann to entice you to check us out. These words were penned in Five Minute Friday: A Collection of Stories Written in Five Minutes Flat reflecting what the exercise has meant to the contributors. I hope her words inspire you to join our writing club.

“What I can tell you about Five Minute Friday and what it has meant to me is that it has been a catalyst to get me writing again. As a teacher in a public school my job has given me less and less time to do any kind of personal writing. My job is very stressful now. Five Minute Friday is perfect for me especially around the school year because I am disciplined now to setting aside just five minutes to write every week. It provides a venue for me to share my creativity and be able to encourage others while simultaneously being encouraged myself. I am so grateful to know that some of my posts have really ministered and blessed other women as I have been blessed by their postings as well. I look forward to the new prompt every week. Thank you to everyone who is part of this wonderful online community!”

So, now we can set the timer and focus on the word for the week — RELIEF. GO…

Pop. Pop.

Fizz. Fizz.

Oh, what a relief it is.

Some may remember that commercial from bygone days when Speedy spewed it in black and white to hawk the speedy relief of Alka Seltzer. It worked. It is still my choice in antacid relief.

Pray. Pray.

Get on your knees and pray.

Oh, what a RELIEF that is.

It took me a little longer to get that message — a soul saving message. But it has the same effect. It’s a little ditty to remind me within minutes of hitting the knees, my problems become manageable, not because of me, but precisely because there is Someone else in control, with an overarching plan.

That’s not to say the problem disappears. Before full disclosure, even Speedy promised only temporary relief. Root causes still had to b addressed.

And so it is with our soul flare-ups. Often caused by fear or despair or by feeling overwhelmed by the world and its antics, our bloated souls are calmed when we speak to our God. The underlining problem may still be there — they have to be addressed separately — but you get the relief of knowing our problems are relatively  small and our God is bigger than our storms.

Relief. It comes physically with an … STOP

… effervescent tablet … and it come spiritually with a little knee bending.

THOUGHT TO REMEMBER: What’s money? A man is a success if he gets up in the morning and goes to bed at night and in between does what he wants to do. — Bob Dylan