Learning To Rest

Why is it in our society we see rest and quietness as something wrong, or temporary? We treat rest more like a privilege than a necessity.

Do you get so busy that you forget to enjoy life? I recently went on a weeks vacation, and although I was busy sightseeing and going, it was a different type of busy. I was with my husband, my loved ones, seeing the beauty. For those who know me or who have followed my blog, you know that photography is my way to disconnect, to connect with our Creator and see the beauty He has created. It's been months since I intentionally picked up my camera, actually close to a year. I have not had my 'photo days' where I grab the dog and the camera and just go take photos. I will admit that because of busyness and lack of rest, my creativity has taken a vacation, and I was just breezing through the day, not seeing the sunsets, the flowers, the beauty. I do not want to live that type of life. It's not truly living if you are not experiencing life.

Rest is more than a nap. Rest is more than an hour massage or a day off. Sometimes we feel guilty that we haven't rested so we 'schedule' a couple hours of rest, and it becomes just like all of our other commitments we have on our to do list. Our rest becomes a task to accomplish and we become more and more exhausted.

I know many who have told me they had to become sick, to become well. They had to be knocked down with chronic illness, probably caused by too much busyness and not enough rest, to find out how important true, real rest is for all of us. Through these journeys, they have also found out that wealth and success as the world sees it are not what matters in life. The love and laughter of family and friends is what matters. Relationships matter. Rest matters. Real rest.

Chronic busyness causes chronic stress which causes chronic illness. I know. I have recently been diagnosed with one. Yet, I am struggling to prioritize my life to get well. My doctor has given me a warning to slow down, yet I keep going, I keep doing, I keep striving for worldly applause and success. The more I strive for these things, the worse my health is, and the worse I feel. A couple days ago, God made a loud point and made me so dizzy and fatigued, I could not do anything else but rest. I slept. I sat out under our big twisted willow tree and listened to the birds, the sound of the wind, neighbor kids laughing, hummingbirds buzzing over my head, and silence.

We get busy and we forget to pay attention to our life, to our loved ones, to our faith, and to our health. We don't see the beauty, we just get in a mode of doing, not living.  We stare at computer and phone screens, thinking we are connected but instead we are deeply disconnected from life and relationships.

I have been rudely awakened to the importance of rest and real relationships through my body having a revolt against my busyness. While I am not thrilled to be dealing with a chronic illness right now, I am thankful that I have been awakened to the life I was living and what it has been doing to my body.

I am in a new season. A season of restoring my health, reconnecting with God, learning to be still, knowing that rest is healthy not bad, and getting intentionally connected with friends and family face to face...these are what matter in life. These are the things that leave a legacy, not busyness.

What needs to change for you today to restore healthy rest, to connect with people face to face, to be still, to see the beauty that surrounds you every day? Make the changes and truly live the life you have been given. It is a gift.

The Adventure of Life

A life of adventure is ours for the taking, whether we are seven or seventy.  Life for the most part is what we make of it.  We have been given a responsibility to live it fully, joyfully, completely, and richly in whatever span of time God grants us on this earth. ~Luci Swindoll 

Do you need to make a course adjustment to live this way?  I know at times, this world can easily take the joy out of living for me.  I have to make course and attitude adjustments to get back on track to living a life of joy.  

My life adventure has a travel guide that never leaves my side, and I just need to rest and  trust in Him.  Sometimes, easier said than done, but I am working on it.  Jesus never leaves me.  He is with me on this adventure of life, He goes before me, and He knows the outcome. My job, trust.  I can say I trust, but I think I trust best when I can control things.  Obviously, my travel guide says to me to trust Him, loosen my grip, and let the fear, the anxiety go because He is in control.  This week, I am going to work on it more than I have for awhile.  Will you join me?

Live Life With A Purpose

Do you see the gifts around you? Do you experience life or are you just coasting by, with your eyes always on your phone/tablet/electronics?  Life is precious and filled with beauty.  When is the last time you experienced life, really experience it? 

When is the last time you enjoyed a sunset?  I mean really took it in, and truly saw, experienced, enjoyed, sat in awe of the colors?  

Have you taken time to see the small details in a flower, that is here today and gone tomorrow, but the amazing details and colors that God put in those flowers for us to enjoy is incredible.  

Put the phone down and look at the beauty around you!  

Enjoy.

   Experience.

       Live life to the fullest.  

           Be thankful.
          

Life is short.  Don't waste it.  Don't let your legacy be that you spent a lot of time texting, staring at an electronic.  Let your legacy be that life was precious to you, and you enjoyed it, you took it in, you loved others, and you talked to them, face to face.  Let people remember that you lived out your life, that you saw the beauty and you appreciated it.  Let your legacy be one of a life well lived, on purpose, with a purpose.  

Be available.  Others need you.  But to be available,  you need to put the electronics down and have face to face relationships.  

The Dash, Your Legacy

I recently attended a funeral.  I did not know the lady.  I was there to help with some of the tech side. As I said, I did not know the lady.  By the time the funeral was over, however, I felt I did know her.  I was shedding tears with the large crowd that assembled to 'say see you later' to their mom, wife, grandma, sister, daughter, friend.

I learned that this gal first and foremost loved Jesus and lived life for Him.  I learned she loved her family, deeply.  I learned she was a quiet woman, but her relationships ran deep and true.  She was intentional about making those in her life feel loved, valued, and important.  She lived out each moment with joy.  She laughed.  She took time to make precious memories with everyone who was important to her.  She lived life with purpose and passion and enjoyed the gift of life.  She didn't waste time, she lived life.  She took great enjoyment in experiencing God's creation. She lived out her dash well.  She touched a lot of people, and showed them the love of Christ through the way she lived.  

Ever since I walked out of our church, I have been thinking about my dash, how I am living out my time from birth, to death.  What will I be remembered for, what do I need to change, and how can I live more purposely and passionately?

What about you?  What will people remember about your 'dash.'  Will they say you were loving, caring, kind, or will they remember you for being argumentative, angry, harsh, for what you were against, not for how you loved?  How do people describe you now?  Those words give you a clue as to the legacy you are leaving here on earth.  What needs to change?  Are your words kind or condemning?  Do you speak words that lift up or tear down?  Are you task oriented, or do people come first?  Do you laugh, and enjoy life, or are you too busy or too uptight?  Do you spend more time on social networks/online than you do having real, face to face relationships?  Does a perfect house matter more than time with your kids, your spouse?  Do you spew ugly words at anything that is against you, or do you try to let it go and and not get consumed with being right?  Does your family know you love them, deeply?  What about your faith?  If you aren't a follower of Christ, living a life like He lived, have you taken time to really consider and examine the life of Christ, NOT a life of religion, but a life of love and giving, centered on Christ's teaching?  It is the most important decision you will ever make.  

Is the life you are living, the life you want to be remembered for?  What are your values?  What's important to you?  How do you live?  What will be said about you at the end of your life?  If you are reading this, you are still breathing, so start making the changes you want to make TODAY.   Make wise use of the dash in your life.  

Live.  Love.  Laugh.  Hope.  Faith.  

What is your legacy? 

Speak Life

Do your words speak life or death? 

Do you encourage or discourage, lift up or put down?  

Words cut, hurt, destroy OR words inspire, help, build up.  

Choose 

words

with care, 

use wisdom, 

and speak in love.  

To others.  

To yourself. 

What's Your Viewpoint?

Perspective affects our lives.  

Do you tend to complain and be angry, or do you try to speak words that are uplifting and helpful?  Are your words negative, or words that of praise and thankfulness?  This world is filled with sadness, ugliness, and hurt, but it is also filled with joy, beauty, and healing.  Which do you focus on?  Which do you speak?

What is your perspective?  

Where we place our trust greatly affects our perspective.  Is your trust placed in yourself, the powers of this world, in others, or in God?  God makes a difference.  He is in control, He will change your perspective if you truly place your trust in Him.

Do you need to change your perspective today? 

What will you do to change your view?  

What steps can you take to see the dandelions as wishes instead of weeds?  

Quiet Time In The Middle of the Night

It's the wee hours of the morning.  The sky is a deep midnight blue with sparkling stars shining brightly as far as the eyes can see.  I stepped outside with my dog a few minutes ago.  I didn't stay long, as the temps are right around zero, but it makes for an amazing landscape across the sky.  

I sit here in the silence.  The only noise I hear is the fire crackling in our wood stove.  I am in the dark, with our Christmas tree lights giving off a warm glow across the room.  I have been placing ornaments on it the past few hours.  This  year, decorating has been a chore.  I haven't wanted to do it at all, which is not me.  One reason, I started working part time, and life has been very busy.  My mom-in-law's health has drastically gone downhill the past few months, and her life has changed as she is now in a care facility recovering from some health issues.  Her care team told us a week ago that she will not be able to live alone again.  Life is drastically altered for her, and really for us as we now need to adjust to her being dependent, which she doesn't do well.  Many friends & family are dealing with some difficult life events and it's just been a rough season to walk through right now.  My emotions got the best of me earlier in the day, and I just sat in my car and had a little cry.  

Another reason decorating has been difficult is that pulling ornaments out of their boxes floods my thoughts with memories, and fills my eyes with tears.  There are numerous ornaments from my Gram, my Grandpa, handmade ornaments from my father-in-law.  They have all gone on and are celebrating Christmas with Jesus, but their memories flood over me tonight.  I laughed as I pulled out a miniture wooden antique coffee grinder ornament that my Gram gave me when I was probably 12.  I told my husband she must have known that I would turn 40, and love coffee.  When she left this earth, I still thought coffee was disgusting.  Now, I have a bit of a love for a good cup of coffee.  Our tree isn't a fancy tree.  It's filled with ornaments of love, many handmade by my mom, all with a memory attached.  I would rather have a tree like ours any day than a fancy tree.  This tree represents the love and memories in our lives.  

Right now, I need to quiet my mind and my heart, and have a silent night, a Holy night.   All nights are Holy when the focus is clear.  Right now, I need to laser focus on Jesus.  I need to focus on the fact that He knows life is difficult, but this life is not all there is.  I need to remind myself that He is walking right beside me, never leaving my side, or the sides of my loved ones who are dealing with difficulty, loss, and pain.  When following Christ, life beyond this earthly journey has no more tears, death, cancer, sickness, sorrow, or pain.  But, beyond all that sorrow, pain, hurt on this journey, there is always hope, always love, and faith.  That is what I cling to.  I pray you do, as well.  Find Jesus this Christmas season.  Even if you walk with Him, it's easy to lose sight of Him in the busyness.  Take time to sit in the quiet as I am doing right now, and be still.  Connect with the One who loves you through it all, and never leaves your side.  Just like I wouldn't trade in my tree of memories for a fancy tree, I wouldn't trade my walk with Christ for anything this life has to offer.  He is my hope.  He alone can quiet my restless soul and overwhelm me with His peace.  

Heart Check Up

 A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.  Luke 6:45

But whatever comes from the mouth has come out of the heart. These things make the man unclean inside.  Matthew 15:18