Rest

In my last post I left you with Psalm 37. I will begin this post with that verse & continue on with a portion of what I shared at Moms & Tots.

Psalm 37:1-8

¹ Do not fret because of those who are evil or be envious of those who do wrong;
² for like the grass they will soon wither, like green plants they will soon die away.

³ Trust in the Lord and do good;dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture(and feed on His faithfulness)
⁴ Delight yourself also in the Lord,and He shall give you the desires of your heart.

⁵ Commit your way to the Lord, Trust also in Him,and He shall bring it to pass.

⁶ He will make your righteous reward shine like the dawn, your justice like the noonday sun.

⁷ Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him;do not fret when people succeed in their ways,when they carry out their wicked schemes.

⁸ Refrain from anger and turn from wrath;do not fret— it only causes harm.

Summary of those verses is:

fret not

trust in the Lord

Do good

Delight yourself in the Lord

Commit to the Lord

Trust in the Lord

Rest in the Lord

Wait Patiently

Fret not

Again do not fret

We are going to focus on verse 7: "Rest in the Lord"

How many of you take take to rest each day or have a quiet time?

What do you do for quiet time for yourself?

Each day I take to sit down with a cup of coffee in the morning & we have quiet time in the afternoon at our house.

Many times the need to rest is not recognized & therefore is often neglected.

I encourage you to take time for yourself(and do not feel guilty) 

Take time to regroup and gain perspective.

Say no to something, sit down, relax, read, light a candle, listen to some music. Just find a way to have a little peace each day.

If you don’t look after yourself, no one else will. We have husbands & children who need us. There are times when we feel like we are running on empty & we need to refuel our tanks. Refueling helps us to find joy, create pleasure & celebrate life in the midst of all the demands. It helps to fuel us(fill our hearts) enough to see that light at the end of the tunnel.

No one else will tell us when we have reached our limit. The more exhausted I am with life, the more tense & grumpy I become until it spills all over everyone else.

When we feel depleted, we need to stop & take stock of what is going on in our life. Though I am still learning, I am always trying to simplify & evaluate my life. 

In what ways can you simplify your life?

Each of us has a different personality, a different puzzle & must accept our limitations. What I can handle may not be what you can handle & vice versa. I thrive on organizing, attending meetings, etc but just because you don’t, you are not any less important. Do not seek to live up to other’s expectations.You will burn out. Avoid the syndrome of “I have to do everything or I will be a failure”.

God always energizes us to to what He leads us to do.  It is only when we go beyond His will to follow our own wills {or other people's desires} that we are likely to get exhausted. {Joyce Meyer}

The last thing that seems productive when life is busy is to rest. Yet it is what we need.

Practice a habit of a restful life.Choose peace. Take a moment to put off responsibilities. If we don’t we can end up exhausted, overwhelmed, sick, with bad attitudes or a shaky faith.