Tag: restoration

Take a Break….

You may have noticed that I took a summer sabbatical from writing. Honestly, last spring brought some unexpected challenges for me and my family and I found myself entering into summer feeling a bit depleted and definitely in need of some soul tending. So, I decided to take a step back from a few things, dig into His Word, and focus my energy on my family and the day to day flow of summer. Crazy, right? How often do we allow God to grab our attention and listen to His voice when He instructs us to take a break, take a deep breath and get back to the basics?

I have been reminded this summer of the importance of finding restoration in the stillness of God. And I realized that often we allow the business of involvements and life in general to keep us on the surface, placing band aids on things in life that require a little deeper healing. In the process, we keep God at arms length; instead of allowing Him to lean in and tend to our needs.

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. Psalms 23:1‭-‬3 ESV

Did you notice the language here in this Psalm? He makes me lie down. He leads me beside still waters. Then, He restores my soul. What a lesson God is giving us here! When was the last time you took a step back and intentionally laid down and allowed your Father to tend to and restore your soul? Or are you allowing the day to day business of life to continue to deplete and chip away at your soul?

Take a break today and allow God to speak to you. He will lead you. He will restore you. He will tend to your every need. You see…

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever. Psalms 23:6 ESV

Be hopeful!

Depleted.

“Are you hurting and broken within? Overwhelmed by the weight of your sin? Jesus is calling. Have you come to the end of yourself? Do you thirst for a drink from the well? Jesus is calling.” (O Come to the Altar by Elevation Worship)

A sweet friend of mine asked me this week if I ever get tired or burned out. She shared that she was feeling completely overwhelmed by everything right now in her life: job responsibilites, parenthood, working out, errands, life in general. Her zest for life had vanished. I asked her how her spiritual life was going. More specifically, I asked her when was the last time she just spent some time with her Father. Her precious face told me the answer before her lips even spoke. She had let her focus shift from Jesus’ face. She was feeling depleted because she simply was depleted. She needed her Father.

“O come to the altar, the Father’s arms are open wide. Forgiveness was bought with the precious blood of Jesus Christ.” (O Come to the Altar by Elevation Worship)

Yes, I have experienced seasons of my life when I have felt completely overwhelmed, holding on to life by a thread. I have noticed that when these seasons hit, I am typically not plugging in to the power source. I am not spending time in God’s Word. I am not carving out time for prayer or devotion. I am not letting God rule in my heart, nor my life. I am completely task driven and have shifted my focus from Jesus’ face.

When my first husband called and said that he wanted a divorce, I was a shell of the woman God intended me to be. I was physically, emotionally and spiritually depleted. I had traveled on my own road for about ten years and had not cultivated my relationship with God. The results were astounding: 100 pounds of added body weight and probably twice that in emotional weight. Yet, amongst all that added weight was a spirit that was literally starving.

“Leave behind your regrets and mistakes, come today there’s no reason to wait. Jesus is calling.
Bring your sorrows and trade them for joy, from the ashes a new life is born. Jesus is calling.” (O Come to the Altar by Elevation Worship)

Where do you find yourself today? Tired? Depleted? Trying to simply survive yet another day? Jesus is calling. Turn to Him and let Him tend to your weary soul. Crawl up in your Father’s lap and let Him take the burdens of this life from you. You see, His yoke is easy and His burden is light (Matthew 11:30). I am living proof that no matter how far you wander, He can reach you, revive you, and restore you.

Be joyful and find rest!

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28‭-‬30 NIV