Saturday, June 19, 2021

When You Have The Faith To Pause Awhile

"Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy-laden and overburdened, and I will cause you to rest. [I will ease and relieve and refresh your souls.]"   --- Matthew 11:28


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So while Tom and I recently watched Chicago Med (which has turned so soap opera-ish, but hey--) a character said:

"This has been a difficult year. The madness, the heartache. I have to admit I'm a little bit shell-shocked."

Wow. Probably describes tons of us world dwellers. Oh, what we're all watching/experiencing/living through since early 2020.

That shell-shocked term stuck with me. Here's the non-soldier-related definition:

"...mentally confused, upset, or exhausted as a result of a highly stressful or disturbing and often unexpected event or experience."

Can you relate? Sometimes I've even sighed to Tom, "Man, I need a vacation," to which he'll reply, "Yeah, let's go!" But then my mind jumps to that list, you know, the "Tasks You Must Do Before Leaving On Vacation" list.

Uh oh. That list exhausts me. So what to do, what to do? 

I can rest within my mind, that's what. Rest at home. Rest in God. Read cozy books. Sit within the silence of the front porch. Listen to music. Stretch. Watch vintage tv. Visit the cafe. Putter in the garden. Take walks. Cut way back on social media. 

Relearn lessons of contentment, gratitude. And think. Like, how the world still spins without my help.

Actually? If I confessed the number of afternoons God's nudged me to rest, to recuperate in 2021, you'd not believe me. He knows how 2020 stretched my brain (like a rubberband?) with not fear, but rather, intensity, excitement and (inner) adventure and He knows what it'll take to return it to a right normal. To heal.

The quota on unhealed wounded healers is, I believe, full.

Which reminds me: even during rest God can still use us. At the cafe last week, with my nose in a book (as they say), a woman approached me, got my attention. "Hello! I've not seen you in ages."

I looked up at her and replied, "Oh my, yes! I think it's been more than a year. Wow."

She quickly added, "It's actually good seeing you there at the table again. Reading your book. Like back when things were normal."

Gee, that made me feel good. I'd left the house an hour earlier than usual, perhaps because God wanted to remind this woman of the sweetness of normalcy. Of the tiny ways it can return after a time of loss. You know, like back when we took simplicity for granted.

So today if God tells you to rest--without guilt!--well, rest, ok? In whatever form that takes. Perhaps not just you, but others of us will benefit from that rest, that healing time you took. 

Today or some future one our wholeness may greatly matter. You just never know.




Walking home from the cafe in the early mornings, I spy my Prayer Garden and feel such peace.



"And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made." ... "And he said, “My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.”   --- Genesis 2:2, Exodus 33:14


Our healing today can help bring about another person's tomorrow.



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And perhaps this which I spied at Facebook will bring a sense of comfort to your mind:


Don’t feel sorry for or fear for your kids because the world they are going to grow up in is not what it used to be.
God created them and called them for the exact moment in time that they’re in. Their life wasn’t a coincidence or an accident.
Raise them up to know the power they walk in as children of God.
Train them up in the authority of His Word.
Teach them to walk in faith knowing that God is in control.
Empower them to know they can change the world.
Don’t teach them to be fearful and disheartened by the state of the world but hopeful that they can do something about it.
Every person in all of history has been placed in the time that they were in because of God’s sovereign plan.
He knew Daniel could handle the lions den. 
He knew David could handle Goliath.
He knew Esther could handle Haman.
He knew Peter could handle persecution.
He knows that your child can handle whatever challenge they face in their life. He created them specifically for it!
Don’t be scared for your children, but be honored that God chose YOU to parent the generation that is facing the biggest challenges of our lifetime.
Rise up to the challenge.
Raise Daniels, Davids, Esthers and Peters!
God isn’t scratching His head wondering what He’s going to do with this mess of a world.
He has an army He’s raising up to drive back the darkness and make Him known all over the earth.
Don’t let your fear steal the greatness God placed in them. I know it’s hard to imagine them as anything besides our sweet little babies, and we just want to protect them from anything that could ever be hard on them, but they were born for such a time as this.
(Copied)




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"Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way, over the man who carries out evil devices!"   ---Psalm 37:7



Please remember: My posts are always about more than they appear to be. 

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 "For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses." ... Matthew 6:14,15

6 comments:

Betsy said...

Hello Debra: Today's post was a great reminder. This has definitely been some kind of year. On top of the challenges the world is facing, we moved half-way across the country. Lived apart for two months while doing so. Have a son getting married in another country and now have to figure out how to navigate all of the testing and quarantining that will entail. And in the middle of all of this our beloved companion Chloe died. No wonder we're both exhausted and reeling a bit from everything. But you know what? God has kept us both on an even keel. No cross words. No frustration. We just get out of bed every day and do the next task put before us.
The facebook excerpt you shared needs a big thank you from me to you. I've been thinking of the world our grandchildren are facing and it saddens and worries me. Now I'm going to remember your post and turn it even more to God and ask Him what He's preparing them for, in such a time as this.
I hope you've had a good Saturday. Ours was busy as usual but we're ready to go worship the Lord tomorrow. And hallelujah that we can still do that freely.
Blessings and hugs,
Betsy

Pam said...

Such a good post, Debra! I'm not very good at resting, but all of us need it--especially after this year. Sometimes I'm concerned for the future generations, but I know that God has a plan. Your prayer garden looks so nice. I was wondering what those bright yellow flowers are--they look kind of tall--so pretty!

Diana said...

I guess Jerry and I are the odd ones because the past year hasn't really affected us. We continued on with our lives. We are homebodies anyway, so being at home didn't bother us. It was just normal life for us, except for the other people living around us who boo-hooed and wailed and wept about every little things. God just kept us doing what we always do and we were perfectly fine. And I am a firm believer that God gives us whatever point in time we live for a reason... He always knows the whys and He always knows best. Blessings to you, Debra!

Angela said...

Hi Deborah,Did this post have a movie link for The Courier? I was coming back tonight to check it out, but maybe it was somewhere else.
Thanks!

Debra said...

Betsy--that's wonderful that you and your husband have been so in synch during all your changes this past year!

Pam--the flowers are yellow primroses also known as sun drops. Mine are the taller ones. I had the shorter variety out at the farm. I was reading in Joyce Meyer's book that she's had some health problems because she hadn't rested enough over the past decades so this has been on my mind.

Diana--perhaps it depends upon our callings. I, too, am a homebody but I felt such great concern for those who are not and for those who lost their incomes and were suffering. And to watch all that happened to our country for the first time! Oh my. All the evil to pray against, well, it kept me busy. Plus, I needed to stay up to date so I watched pundits and they let me know what was going on so I could share what I needed to here at my blog and at Facebook, not to mention all the Bible verses I felt led to share and warnings, as well as encouragement. I've always found human nature fascinating, actually, and it was all very intense, my compassion for the innocent and the wonder I felt at all those who were sucked into the evil (and praying for them). Plus, there was my consistent stocking up on groceries and supplies and all the lists I kept, plus new discoveries online and with so much to learn and relearn about History, well, it was a fascinating whirlwind for me! And that's why I'm resting now. :)

Angela--yes! Long story, but I removed the link to The Courier. But here you go! :) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kAJ67wLr-1k

Thanks, Everyone! Blessings, Debra

Diana said...

I think I did not explain what I was talking about very well, sorry if it came off hard-hearted, it was not meant to be. I did all the same things as you (except I'm not on any social media). It definitely was a concerning year. But God is always in the mix no matter how we face what comes at us in life, and everyone responds differently to what He requires of us. Some of us are 'behind the scenes' types of people. :) Blessings!