by Rhonda Rhea @RhondaRhea

I already felt a little uneasy about the day. Then I heard myself say to a family member, “Oh, that train wreck has already left the station,” and I realized it might be worse than I thought. It was early so I figured the angsty, disconnected feeling might be because it was still not-enough-coffee o’clock.

The fix? Iced coffee! It’s like the polar plunge of beverages.

Me: Hey, freezer door dispenser. Could I have four ice cubes, please?

Door dispenser: Sure. HOW ABOUT 8,000?

The ice jackpot left me with a totally ice-covered floor. I guess you could say, the ice was cubed, and I was crushed. Eesh. Can an already wrecked train of a day derail? I was making my way toward the sink to dump the first load when I performed what I would love to describe as a double toe loop leading into a triple axel, then morphing into a lovely Salchow. I would love to describe it that way. Except I’m guessing it was more of a sad interpretation of a Watusi/hula combo. With clogging. On ice.

I caught myself on the side of the counter—just this side of an ER visit. That old “Loco-motion” song was stuck in my head the rest of the day. Because that was “a brand new dance now.”

Some days there just isn’t enough coffee. All of the coffee is not enough coffee. And who knew you could feel jittery before any of the coffees?

Have you ever experienced a jitteriness of soul? An uneasiness—like there’s something you’re longing to do but don’t know what it is? Or wondering what your next step might be? Or wondering if you might be taking a step in the wrong direction whichever direction you go?

The answer is to get massive amounts of coffee into your system. No, not really. Totally kidding there. But I can tell you without hesitation that the answer truly is right inside you. We who have trusted in Christ have the Holy Spirit of God as our Counselor, Leader, Teacher, Comforter, Confidante, and Friend. Resting in the Holy Spirit is the one-track route to Peace-ville.

Resting in His peace-giving presence and allowing Him to reveal to us which direction to go radically changes every angsty place in our souls. That tracks, as it were, because it’s through His Spirit we receive the capacity to know the truth. Through Him we are empowered to find and fulfill our calling. He is the source of the fruitful, abundant life.

The peaceful presence of God. By His magnificent grace, it’s available to each of us. He wants us to have it! His presence is not earned. It’s not reserved for certain seasoned believers. Because of the sacrifice of Christ, you can’t get frozen out. You were created for warm fellowship with your God.

Longings in our soul are there to remind us of our desperate need for His presence. His nearness stabilizes our spirits in any and every slippery situation. We were created to enjoy and celebrate His presence. We will experience an angsty spirit anytime we fail to recognize the beauty of that presence. Our hearts cry out for it. “I long and yearn for the courts of the Lord; my heart and flesh cry out for the living God” (Psalm 84:2 CSB).

Oh the blessing of relishing the gift of His presence! Two verses later in Psalm 84, the Amplified Version reminds us that “Blessed and greatly favored are those who dwell in Your house and Your presence; They will be singing Your praises all the day long.”

All day long. Probably with “a little bit of rhythm and a lot of soul.”

Rhonda Rhea is an award-winning humor columnist for great magazines such as HomeLife, Leading Hearts, The Pathway, and many more. She is the author of 19 books, including the popular romantic comedies co-authored with her daughter Kaley Rhea, Off-Script & Over-Caffeinated and Turtles in the Road. Rhonda and Kaley have also teamed up with Bridges TV host Monica Schmelter for the Messy to Meaningful books and TV projects. Along with Beth Duewel, Rhonda writes the Fix Her Upper series, and she also co-authored Unruffled: Thriving in Chaos with Edie Melson. She speaks at conferences and events from coast to coast, serves on many boards and committees, and stays busy as a publishing consultant. Rhonda says you can find her living near St. Louis drinking too much coffee and snort-laughing with her pastor/husband, five grown children, and a growing collection of the most exceptional grandbabies.