Rest sometimes means saying no to good things so you can say yes to the best.
There are better things ahead.
If you are too busy running around like a chicken with its head cut off (mindless circles of flapping) you will miss the view you would have seen by standing still.
It has taken some hard, painful looks at myself to realize this lesson.
I tend to do. Jump in and help wherever I can.
At times, that is absolutely the right thing to do.
And at others, it is a distraction from what I was meant to do.
I worked for years as a child care provider & barista, volunteering at church, my kids’ schools & in the community.
I am not the same person now that I was then, so keeping the same mindset about my activity levels doesn’t make sense.
I learned many skills that I still use most days and now am still learning many skills I didn’t learn when I was my younger self.
Seasons ebb and flow like the tide.
Sometimes dry, full, dangerous or safe.
In every season, we are to use our given reason to rest. With no exceptions.
God made us with that need.
What God has made, He called good.
When He was done, He rested.
Rest is the secret to our energy.
Resting physically as our body demands…I am a 7.5 hour sleeper for optimum mental capacity 🙂
Rest emotionally by dealing with our hurts, pain & stresses…I find a good walk, prayer time where I pour out my heart, and sometimes get others to pray for me helps me keep a level keel.
Resting spiritually is the most important aspect. Trusting that as we spend time with Him, God will reveal the best He has for us to seek out & hold onto. Knowing He has our back every step of the way, we are safe in His care, and never alone as we step into the purpose we were made for.
We can rest in the knowledge that He designed us to need rest, to slow down and shift our focus onto Him, no matter the storm swirling about us.
Rest IN Him, no matter the mess.
There is no situation He cannot move in. He is mighty. He is able. He is love. He is yours.
REST in Him, beyond your stress.
Stress doesn’t change us for the negative when we respond to it positively, with His help.
Rest in HIM. As we look to Him for our rest, we become fascinated & drawn to His Presence more deeply. His rest begins to soak into us, to permeate us, to leave us marked with His fragrance. He reminds us that we are a moment, He is forever.
Our soul finds rest in Him alone.
Take a look around yourself this week. Are you randomly jumping into the chaos without thinking, or asking our guide to help you rest & see what is really going on?
REST is encompassed in STRESS, the real antidote to life’s busyness.
Stop short & rest.
Make the time to rest physically.
Pray, journal, sing, play guitar, walk or run- do whatever makes you happiest to help you calm yourself, then plug back into God/rest after the day’s swirl of events.
But rest.
Perspective will begin to reveal the best God has for you, as you take the step towards Him, let Him calm you with His love, saturate you with His presence, give you His vision for what is to come next.
Better becomes best.
The deciding factor between the two?
How much you invest in your need for rest.
KARLA LEES 