Sunday Rest

I am so tired today. It is a tiredness that makes me want to cry at the thought of trying to do anything productive today. My mind even hurts. This weariness, as desperate as it sounds, came only from the routine of living. Nothing dire has occurred. No major crisis is upon us. Life, so wonderful and full of joy, exhausts me at times. Our world today constantly advises us to push harder, work longer, play with greater verve. We strive in our jobs, we stay busy at home, our schedules fill up, and we even wear ourselves out with recreation. So, when do we rest? Where is the refreshment and joyful refilling of our ever draining tanks?

This week I was wonderfully inspired while reading the words of Anna Botsford Comstock in her Handbook of Nature Study.

Yes, catch up with more cares, more worries, more fatigue, 

but not with more growth, more strength, more vigor, 

and more courage for work....

Out in this, God's beautiful world, 

there is everything waiting to heal lacerated nerves, 

to strengthen tired muscles, 

to please and content the soul that is torn to shreds with duty and care.

God knows our desperate need for rest. He even commands us to keep the Sabbath day holy. In the past I understood this to mean only that we revere the Sabbath as a day of worship. This is true, but recently I have understood this command in a new light. We are most able to worship when our eyes are not on ourselves. In our constant busyness and routine lives, all too often our eyes are solely focused on the task at hand. This is wearisome work. We need rest. We need refreshment. We need God. 

Sunday is a day of worhsip. Sunday is a day of rest.It turns our souls and minds to God, the Overseer of our souls.

Go for a walk in the woods. Grab a glass of water and sit in your favorite chair and do nothing. Take a nap. Read a good book. Pray. In turn, the world will be put in perspective and the presence of God will be made known. Rest in Him.

Psalm 51: Broken

I love the Psalms. No matter how many times I've read and reread them, I always walk away with something new to challenge or refresh. Today Psalm 51 was the primary subject in my daily reading from the devotional classic Streams in the Desert. The author was focusing on verse 17, "The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, a broken and a contrite heart." God uses broken things. How true. Later in the New Testament, Paul reminds us that "God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are, that no flesh should glory in His presence." (I Cor. 1: 28-29)

Pride does not belong in the Christian life, but it comes so naturally to us. Brokenness, humility, and dependence are difficult pills to swallow. Yet God's Word is full of promises for His children who embrace them. The beginning of Matthew chapter 5 is an example of such promises. And today in Psalm 51 I was given even more insight into this matter of brokenness. We are born into iniquity, sin. We are born broken. And yet, despite that fact, God desires relationship with us. He longs to make us whole again. This is not always an easy process. Take verse 8, for example. "Make me to hear joy and gladness, that the bones which You have broken may rejoice." I will confess that this verse is difficult for me to comprehend, yet I know its Truth. God, at times, does have to break us in order to heal us. Our stubborn pride and sin harden us to His love and forgiveness. In such a state we cannot hear or understand the joy of God.

Through pain, we are brought to a place of healing. But when we are in the place of pain, often we ask, "Why?" Verses 12 and 13 of Psalm 51 offer one answer.
          Restore to me the Joy of Your salvation,
          And uphold me with Your generous Spirit.
          Then I will teach transgressors Your ways,
          And sinners shall be converted to You.
God's work in our lives, however painful at times, affects others for Him. When we are restored to joy and healed in our spirits, others see the hand of God. The hope of salvation and the light of Truth shine forth and lead others to God.

So, what does this mean in real life? It means that I have had difficulties in my life. I have railed and screamed and wept. My heart has broken, and there have been times when darkness swept over me like a cloak. I have walked, sometimes limped, my way through those valleys to discover that the gentle hand of my Shepherd was ever at my back guiding me. He never left my side, and when I emerged from the darkness, the light of His love shone on my face and healed the bruises. I carry the scars, but more importantly, my soul has been knit even tighter to the one who washed the wounds and carried me through. Joy was restored to me, and He has always upheld me with His generous Spirit.

The difficult times never cease, but God is ever faithful. And through it all, my prayer is...
       Create in me a clean heart, O God, 
        and renew a steadfast spirit within me.

October

If I ascend into heaven, You are there; if I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there Your hand shall lead me, and Your right hand shall hold me.
Psalm 139: 8-10

Today my heart is heavy. Over the course of the past few weeks I've been reminded of the depravity of the world around me, the limits of the ones I love, the vulnerabilities I carry within my own soul, and the stark need of a Savior. My heart hurts.

In pondering these things, I felt the stirrings of fear and anger (not the righteous kind, unfortunately), and I had to tamp down the urges to either run and hide or pick up my boxing gloves and go destroy something. These are only two of my own weaknesses I was also reminded of in recent days. Humbling.

I wish I could say I immediately turned to God with the boldness and confidence that Paul displayed when writing the epistles and ministering to the early church. I am convicted by his words in 2 Corinthians 5:20, "We are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us - I implore you on Christ's behalf be reconciled to God! (2 Cor. 5: 20). He had a clear eternal perspective on life that still challenges and teaches me so many years later. And though I may not always feel the truth of these words, I am still an ambassador of Christ. However, this ambassador has a lot to learn. My reaction to facing some trials included the following:

I vented and fumed.
I stayed busy so I didn't have to process the issues.
I locked myself in the bathroom for a good crying jag.
I sent up desperate prayers that more resembled a rant than heartfelt petition.
I discussed the various issues with trusted people in my life.

With weariness plaguing me today, I finally did what I should have done weeks ago, I opened my Bible and my journal and my heart. Submission. And waiting for me there in the stillness was my Shepherd and King. And His sovereignty, His holiness, His grace, and His compassion reminded me that though there is deep darkness in this world, God's Light has pierced it.

"For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ."
2 Corinthians 4:6

Even as I type, the weight lifts off my shoulders. The weariness is replaced by hope and His strength. And my eyes shift from a downward view of earth to an upward view of Heaven.

God is here and He is faithful.
In the darkness, we have Hope and Light in Him.
We are not alone, and we are loved.

The Son is gone for a time
Struggle and strive to hold on
In the Dark
Search for the purpose in chaos
Watch for signs of the end
Here's the Hope
In the pursuit of Life
Shining His light on the path
For the People

Short Sighted

Today I am short sighted. This I know. I have no great spiritual insight or wisdom to share. Instead I have a heart full of emotions, a weary spirit, and a mind full of frustration. Oh, the weight of these feet of clay.

I just finished reading a book by Tosca Lee entitled Havah: The Story of Eve. More than any other book I've read in years, this one impacted me and stirred my soul. On a daily basis we experience the struggle of flesh with spirit and we feel the mighty burden of sin, even though as disciples of Christ we do know hope and redemption. This book, though fiction, offered such a striking and real picture of the harmony and love and beauty in the Garden versus the desperation and loneliness and strife in a world without God. It broke my heart because of our sad state and stirred within me a longing cry for my Savior and restoration.

Maybe because of all I felt in reading that book, I am feeling more deeply my struggles today because in them I see myself living out the consequences of mankind turning from God. Are my struggles so big? Certainly not. They are the stuff of daily life and yet today they overwhelm me because for a moment I've caught a glimmer of a life in eternity. But staying focused on my eternal purpose is a constant battle.

My dirty house beckons...
A sick and angry child screams and whines and pleads...
Another child sweetly demands my every attention...
My errands and agenda are twarted by the aforementioned...
Plans crop up for my husband that leave me facing alone the previous stated issues...
Missing my family so far way causes sharp pangs of loneliness in my heart...
Indecision and lack of direction over other issues plague me..
And I'm sick.

Short sighted.
With my head bent in weariness, all I see are my feet of clay.
Uninspiring. Unmotivating.

Despite it all, I feel the hand of my Shephard gently lifitng my chin and calling my name.

"Look up, child. I love you. I chose you. You are mine. Follow me."

And with that, I can begin again. With my sight set on Him, I need not see what lies ahead. In fact, I need not see anything else...what lies ahead, what fell behind, what surrounds. I need only know that He is here with me. I am not alone. And I am loved.

Striving

It's been over a month since I've posted here. I'd like to say it's because I've been so busy, but the truth is that I've not had much to say. So easily I go from in the depths of Truth and inspirational relationship with God to wandering and meandering through life again. What happened? Well, I'll confess. While coasting on the heels of a great revival in my spirit, I lost sight of my sweet Savior. Silly sheep that I am, I allowed fear and insecurity to creep in and I forgot the strength and compassion of my Shepherd. I thought I had it under control, and what do I get? Striving. Discontent. Loss of joy.

Let me just say here, that is a tough thing to own up to after the past few months I've had. Truly, I am ashamed of my weak will and sin.

The good news is that my Shepherd loves me, and although I may have lost sight of Him, He never lost sight of me. Whew!

Today I did what anyone who is striving ought to do. I quit, waved the white flag, sat down, and prayed.

I don't have all the answers. He does.
I don't know what the next few months will bring. He does.
I can't do everything. He can.

Okay, so this sheep in all humility is now happily following her Shepherd again. Truly, it is a much better way of living.

Here are a few of my all time favorites that I plan to dwell on the next few days. They certainly lend a little perspective to a wandering sheep.

Psalm 16: 5,6, 11
You, O Lord, are the portion of my inheritance and my cup; You maintain mylot. The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places; Yes, I have a good inheritance. You will show me the path of like; In Your presence is fullness of joy; At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

Psalm 25: 1,2a,4,5
To You, O Lord, I lift up my soul. O my God, I trust in You...Show me Your ways, O Lord; Teach me Your paths. Lead me in Your Truth and teach me, for You are the God of my salvation; on You I wait all the day.

Psalm 37:3-7
Trust in the Lord, and do good; Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness. Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord, trust also in Him, and He shall bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your justice as the noonday.