God has great plans for you and it will require rest to accomplish it!

   My presence will go with you and

 I will give you rest.       ~Exodus 33:14~



Need Rest?



 

I sit here this morning with many thoughts. I realize that I do not do well with change and there are so many changes coming that I feel overwhelmed, fearful, and nervous.  Valor will be going to Kindergarten.  Baby Oath is coming. Other unspoken concerns tug at my heart strings as well.  Yet I am reminded in scripture over and over again to fear not, do not worry, and be anxious for nothing. Also Jesus reminds us the Bible to rest and find rest in Him. I have not quite figured out how to do this well with little ones, exhaustion, and little motivation to even do so.  I sit here today with little desire to read my Bible, worship, or even leave my house for that matter. The energy it takes to get myself ready and the boys ready just isn't worth the effort of going anywhere, unless we are going to my moms house; a place we can arrive in our pjs and barefoot. :-)
     Sometimes in life you just get burnt out. It can happen in a marriage, being a mother, a teacher, a worker, in ministry, a leader, a servant or a friend. It can happen while doing good things.  It can happen to anyone at anytime. There is no shame in it. It will probably happen to every human at least once in their life.  I believe it happens when we do too much, keep our plates too full, perhaps feel unappreciated,  and don't set up boundaries to say "no"  or to take adequate rest and "self time".  I believe that REST  is the key.
     Sundays are suppose to be a day of rest but with little ones, and church, and still needing to cook meals it doesn't feel much like a day of rest.  I will say it again, I have not quite figured out how to rest in a way that restores my soul.  I believe Jesus wants us to have this kind of rest.  He does not want us striving, but thriving.  God wants our story to sound like David's when he said in Psalms " I am like an olive tree, thriving in the house of God. I will always trust in Gods unfailing love."   Often by the time I get my little family to church, I feel like just laying down on the back pew and sleeping! In the back of my mind, I'm secretly counting down the hours and minutes until nap time.  God knows my heart. He knows deep down, under it all....all I really want is HIM and that I love Him.
 

Isaiah 40... "He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths          grow  tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar like eagles; run and not grow weary. They will walk and not grow faint"

                                 `~ Rest in God starts with hope in God~

 
     So...Im going on a journey to find rest. Not more naps, not more sleeping time (however some might need that); rather, the kind of rest that restores the joy of my salvation. Im also going to be focusing on my physical health in this process. They are both related to each other.
    Some say that vacation renews them but that's not the case with me. I love vacations but there isn't much rest for my soul there. Others find it during time away,  but I have yet to discover it there as well.  However, alone time daily does great wonders for me. But only in Him am I truly at rest.
     I will find rest. He promises me that I will. If  I search for him; I will find Him. If I knock on His door, He will open it. He says for me to come to Him and He will give me rest. He will restore the joy of my salvation. He will take the concerns of my heart and make them perfect, one by one. He will take my burdens and lift them and give me His yoke which is easy and light. He will lay me down in green pastures and quiet waters.  He will carry me like a shepherd carries his sheep.   
     He is not mad at me for being tired. I refuse to feel shameful for not having the "want to" to want to read my bible and pray. He loves me. He really  loves me. If I'm on fire for him, or come to Him with a cold heart wanting Him to ignite it. - He loves me. Its like I tell my boys, " I don't always like your behavior, but I love you when you are good, and when you are bad. I love you when you are happy; when you are sad. I always love YOU" 
    So if you tired, burnt out, worried, concerned, or overwhelmed, come on this journey  with me to find rest from Him and in Him.  He will not withhold it from us. Take time to take care of yourself and not everyone else. This is ok and healthy!   So many people who get burnt out are givers. We give so much  and never get refilled, or recharged ourselves.  Giving is wonderful thing but we have to remember to give to ourselves. Cut back on the busy schedule, relax, take time for physical health, private alone time, spend time with Jesus with worship and His word, do something YOU enjoy. 

" Burn out happens when our lives are out of balance.  We can NOT do it all. The good news is that He never asked us to.  Only He can do it all!"

   

    So the first two steps in my journey of finding true rest for my soul are the following:  Incorporate worship and bible reading daily back into my life and include "self time".  I pray for each of my readers today that in this chaotic, busy, exhausting world...we will find the kind of rest that Jesus longs to give us. It will restore our souls and bring us great joy. It will allow us to give, without getting tired. To dream without giving up. To believe without doubting and to love without feeling strife. 
     Praise to the One, who gives freely and abundantly to all who ask.  Today I ask Jesus for His rest. I admit that without it, I cant even be a good mom, wife, friend or servant of Christ.  Rest in God starts with hope in God. So today, along with rest, I ask Him for hope.  Be blessed and well rested my friends. God has great plans for your life and it will require rest to accomplish it all! 

 

Come to me all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.   Matt 11:28

                                                                                                 

God is good. God is faithful. God is worthy. God is holy. ( Encouragement for the weary soul )

 I could hardly sleep last night thinking of Gods goodness.  As some of you know, TJ and I have lost 3 babies in the past 2 years. Their nicknames are  Jewel, Liv and Bliss.  I named them all girl names thinking surely one would be a girl!  :-)  I have half my children here on earth and half in heaven. Its like Im expecting always, cause I have 3 little surprises in heaven.  I bet Jesus will meet me at the gates with a rocking chair and my babies. I will get to rock babies forever and I am beyond excited about that!
  This journey has not been easy but God has been faithful.  My hormones have been to hell and back, my mind has suffered, my emotions have hit rock bottom, and my body has felt like it has been hit by a freight train.  After our last loss, I got very low.  My faith was shaken, my hormones were out of whack and I just didnt understand why all this was happening. I had been reading my Bible, I had been quoting scriptures and standing on Gods promises and yet I kept loosing my babies.
   I shut down for a while and actually still coming out of it. I tried to focus on my what I did have! I have been blessed with two cute, sweet, healthy boys and a wonderful husband. This brought me comfort and joy.
   One day, I went to my keyboard to sing to God. I had not done that in a long time and really needed to feel a release in my heart from all this baggage and hurt.  I sat down, as I have done many times before, but this time as I played, no song came.  Only tears.  Then I chose to force myself to sing about the things I already knew to be true of God.  These things were true no matter my circumstance or situation. I began to sing "God you are good. God you are worthy. God you are holy. God you are faithful. Then something came out of my heart, which exposed it. I began to sing, with tears, "I don't want to be mad at you God. I love you."
   I would have never said out loud that I was mad at God. I would never want to be mad at him. If He never did anything else for me but send Jesus to die on the cross...that is more than enough! He does not owe me anything. His ways are higher than mine. The truth is the only thing I deserve is hell, and He saved me from it.  However, in knowing all of this, my heart still was disappointed with God. It came out in my song.  I could not deny it.
   I had to make a choice to trust God even when I do not understand. I made a choice to love God even when it seems prayers go unanswered.  How could I not love God? He has been nothing but good and faithful to me.  Sometimes. we have to remind ourselves of what God has already done to be able to praise Him in our current situation.  I began to feel a healing take place in my heart.
   Since I lost several babies, the doctor ran some tests.   I  discovered I have blood clotting disorder and without my miscarriages I would have never known this!   Its treatable and very important information to know about myself to keep myself healthy.  I am thankful to have this knowledge.
   Sometimes you do not see or feels Gods faithfulness right in the middle of what you are going through, but if you look back on it, you can see Him all over it. You see Him with you, for you and helping you.  This is the case with me.  When I look back over my life, I see Him with me in every tear, every fear, every loss, every victory, every decision, every step, every laugh, every struggle, uncertainty, and emotion in my life.  He is with me, always. He is my ever present help in time of trouble. My comforter, my teacher, my friend who sticks closer than a brother, my shield, my rock and my sanity.  He is my guidance and my wisdom.
     I end this to say, God is truly good. He is worthy. He is holy. He is faithful. There is a purpose for everything under heaven. Nothing happens for without  reason, in vein or without a purpose. God can turn ALL things around for our good!
   Tj and I made a decision last year to try one last time. I almost didn't; but felt like I needed to try one last time.  So much had been stolen from me; I didn't want to give up.   We became pregnant a few months after this decision and here we are!! 15 weeks and with a baby girl on the way! I better start investing in some pink swords so she can hold her own against her brothers!
    The last 2 years, on 4th of July I have been right smack dab in the middle of loosing a baby.  My baby girl is due on July 4th of this year.  I feel this is Gods way of telling me he redeems the time. He makes all things new. He restores and rebuilds.  His timing is perfect.
   I am would never want to relive this journey but I am thankful for it.   I am thankful for the lonely nights of fall, for there I felt His friendship; the greatest of all. I am so thankful for the coldest days of winter for there I felt His warmth; I never knew it was there.  I am thankful for the storms in the springtime for there I heard His voice singing over me. I am so thankful for the weary days of summer, for there he refreshed me with the beauty of his love.  Seasons change, but He remains the same. His love never changes. He brought my soul out of prison and now I want to praise Him forever.