My heart & mind turned to God & I thanked Him...
For all He has given me.
For who He is to me.
For what He is doing in my life & in our family.
#1490 - sunshine on my face
#1491 - wind through my hair
#1492 - quiet moments on the deck with Mal ♥
- sabbatical -
any extended period of leave from one's customary work especially for rest or study
(root word: sabbath)
a time to focus the heart/mind/spirit intently upon God
We grow stale.
Broken down.
Worn out.
Our tasks become a burden rather than a blessing.
Life gets mundane.
Zeal begins to wane.
- zeal -
fervor for a person, cause, or object
eager desire or endeavor
enthusiastic diligence
ardor
I like to refer to zeal as passion or enthusiasm or deliberate fervor.
And when our zeal wanes, so does our countenance.
It may take on the look of:
stress
exhaustion
impatience
irritability
discouragement
sluggishness
lifelessness
We've all seen it.
We've all felt it.
We've all lived it.
We've all worn it.
Do we recognize when the clothes we are wearing are soiled with such grunge that it is affecting those around us?
Do we care?
I wonder how many of us know what we are wearing, see how we are acting & in turn recognize the effect it is having on ones we love & care about but have no idea how to fix it...
So we stuff.
We suppress.
We subdue.
We go through the motions.
#1493 - car rides & doctor appointments with MaKayla ♥
#1494 - broccoli cheese soup deluxe for a sore ortho mouth ♥
#1498 - first after work sight of my man ♥
We transform from thriving into merely surviving.
One life.
That's all we get.
As the days tick on, even in the midst of the pain & discomfort, I now clearly see that God has instituted this time & season for nothing less than healing & restoration & transformation.
Where we are...
Who we are...
How we've arrived here...
A time to take those answers & line them up with...
Where God wants us to be...
Who God wants us to be...
How God wants to change us...
From the inside out.
Satan wants nothing more than to keep us doing the same thing...
Going the same direction...
Acting the same ways...
Achieving the same results...
stress
exhaustion
impatience
irritability
discouragement
sluggishness
lifelessness
He wants to keep us so caught up & busy in life, even though we're miserable, as a means to keep us defeated, discouraged & downcast. For when we are these things, we are of no fruitful use to those around us.
Can you relate?
It might reveal an area of weakness.
Some people are afraid of change...
It has a tendency to be uncomfortable.
Some people are afraid to do something different...
It requires learning something new.
Some people are afraid to be someone other than who they have always been...
It has a tendency to invite mockery or judgement or ridicule.
But...
Are you thriving or surviving?
Do you care?
Maybe it's time to step back from the busyness of life & do some evaluating...
A quiet moment.
No television.
No cell phone.
No internet access.
Quietness.
Just you & God.
He says,
“Be still, and know that I am God..."
~Psalm 46:10
More than once in the past few weeks, Kyle & I have both said,
"I am so sick of self...""I am so sick of doing it my own way..."
"I am so sick of having no joy..."
We want to know God...
Not to just know about Him...
But to truly know Him...
His heart.
His desire.
His will.
His purpose.
Are you thriving or merely surviving?
Do you care?
Seek God...
He will show you...
Oh, and one last thing...
If you see someone you love & care about lingering in the "merely surviving" zone, reach out.
It's a lonely place...
Offer them a break.
Take on some of their load.
Let them know you care.
Encourage them.
And pray...
Happy October 9th...
Brisk but beautiful...
