Last week I took some time to rest, I came down with a flu and needed to rest. I thought that by taking last week off it would cause my health progress to suffer when I got back to my routine. I was wrong. If anything the rest brought me back into my routine with renewed energy and focus.
Psalm 46:10 “Be still, and know that I am God! I will be honored by every nation. I will be honored throughout the world.” When we have times of rest it is meant to rejuvenate us physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. When we take times of rest to focus on God, we come back with renewed strength to continue moving towards the plans God has laid before us. Just as physical rest can bring renewal to our bodies, reducing stress and allowing our bodies to be restored. It is no coincidence that rest is the first part of the word restored. Restoration can only come from once rest has come. During a hurricane, if you try to fix the damage to restore your dwelling, you not only risk your well being but it will not remain repaired as the storm continues to pound down. It is only when that storm has calmed that you can get to the work of restoration. The same is true in our lives. We need the calm, to gather ourselves, grab our tools and get re-focused to the work of restoring the damage and bringing back that which was lost. Last week for me was important to bring physical healing to my body, just as spiritual rest can bring healing to our hearts and minds. If you feel like you have been beaten down by the storms of this world, it may be time to rest and allow the storm to calm, then move towards restoration and revitalization. It may be time to BE STILL!
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For everyone who has been following my blog, I just wanted to let you know that I made it to the end of my health challenge and I accomplished the goal I set at the beginning. The funny thing is now that the challenge is done, I could choose to keep the win and stay consistent with the changes I have already made or I can continue my journey creating new goals to reach. I have chosen to continue my journey, creating a new goal for myself. I have accountability set up for myself. I am also planning on posting affirmations on my wall so when I am feeling discouraged I can read them and be motivated and inspired to continue on.
Just like my journey to renewed health and wellness, the same principles apply to my journey in my walk with God. When I am feeling weak or tired on the journey, it is important to have people to hold me accountable, and it is important to remember why I began this journey in the first place. Additionally, words of encouragement and affirmation to help me stay focused and not allow my heart to be distracted. So many of us in our journey through life trying to accomplish goals all on our own. You do not need to do that, ask someone you trust to walk with you and keep you accountable to reaching the goals you set for yourself. In order to achieve success we need support of those who believe in us and want to journey with us. Take some time and think about the people in your life. As you are thinking about your goal, is there someone in your life that can walk with you? If so, now may be the time to contact them and ask them to journey with you. It may just surprise you what can happen when you do not try to succeed all by yourself! Time keeps moving forward, no matter what. There may be times when the future seems overwhelming, even daunting and we just want to stay in the present, or relive the past. No matter how difficult the future may be time is constantly moving forward. None of us have the superpower to stop time.
When I am unsure of the future, I go to God. He has a plan for my life, it is a plan for my good. Jeremiah 29:11 "For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope." God's plans are better than our plans could be. Isaiah 55:9 For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts. We can trust God with our future, no matter the outlook. The next time you get overwhelmed by the future remember that God has a good plan for you. All you need to do is trust in that. God loves you and wants His best for you. When I was in my early twenties, I had mapped out my entire future, before I was even 25 all of my plans had failed and I was angry with God. I carried that for a very long time. One day, someone said to me, "You have such a great life, you have a husband who loves you, a beautiful home, a great job, you have it all. In that moment that anger reared its ugly head and my response was that what I had wasn't what I had planned for myself and I told her my plans. She then answered me by saying, "Don't you see that what you have now is so much better?" It took me a few minutes to process that. She was right! Everything I had imagined for myself, would have ended in my unhappiness. Do not waste years wishing you had some ideal, take a step back and look at all of the blessings in your life, you just might realize that you have more than you ever wanted right now, and never even realized it. I was reading Philemon this morning, and came across this verse Philemon 1:7 Your love has given me much joy and comfort, my brother, for your kindness has refreshed the hearts of God's people. Love can do so much more than we realize!
Love can bring joy in our times of sorrow. Love can bring comfort when our hearts are in pieces. Love can lift us up when we feel low, love can bring peace to the chaos, love can make our hearts feel full and refreshed. Love can soften us when we get hard. Love can bring hope when we feel like we have none. Love can bring new life to us! Love can give us strength when we feel weak, love can help us endure the difficult times, love can help us to get up when we fall! Most of all love set us free!!! Jesus love for us is why He went to the cross to set us free from our sin! The next time you wonder how important love is, I challenge you to sit back, relax and remember all of the times you have felt loved, truly loved. How did it make you feel? What did love do for you in those times? Love is so powerful, do not underestimate it! I was looking outside at the falling snow and was thinking about how it looks like everything is new, everything looks different with the snow. This is true in our lives as well. When we make a change it affects our lives. Each change is almost like a clean slate, a fresh start.
I have made a lot of changes in my life in the last few months. I have seen the positive ripples as it starts to hit additional areas of my life and soon the landscape of my life looks different. I now look forward to the future instead of dreading it. I now anticipate the opportunities that arise each day instead of missing these opportunities altogether. Is my life perfect, NO. Each day is better than the last though. My husband was confused last night when he asked me if I liked my birthday and my answer was it had been the best one yet. He started thinking back and I reminded him of all the wonderful things that happened yesterday. As I shared, I saw a knowing look cross his face, I think he came to the understanding before I did. This was the best birthday because I was free!!! Free from the belief that I was my weight, free from loving the weight! Free to love me, for exactly who I am! This is my snow covered world, a world in which I am free. All my life I felt like I was a captive to the weight and had no idea how to get free. I am so thankful for this new landscape, so thankful for those who speak truth into our lives at just the right times, so thankful to God for answering my prayer for freedom! |
Connie BlackwoodJoin me on my journey through life's joys and difficulties. Archives
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