Those who wait upon me will gain new strength. Spending time alone with Me is so good for you, but it is increasingly countercultural. Multitasking and staying busy have become the norm. During the Advent season, there are even more things to be done and places to go. So I encourage you to break free from all the activity and demands for a while. Seek My Face and enjoy My Presence, remembering that Christmas is all about Me.
Waiting Upon Me is an act of faith--trusting that prayer really does make a difference. Come to Me with your weariness and burdens, being candid and real with Me. Rest in My Presence, and tell Me about your concerns. Let Me lift the burdens from your aching shoulders. Trust that I am able to do exceedingly abundantly above all you ask or think.
As you arise from these quiet moments, hear Me whispering "I am with you" throughout the day. Rejoice in the new strength you have gained through spending time with Me.
Isaiah 40:31; Psalm 27:8; Matthew 11:28; Ephesians 3:20
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Tessa had a rough morning at church yesterday, so I didn't get to listen to as much of the service as I would have liked, but our pastor said something that really resonated with me. He talked about how we're all broken, and that church is a place for broken people, but that the story we should write is a story of healing, not brokenness (that is a paraphrase, of course). When I think about Matthew 11:28 Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest ~ I think about how we are often able to find healing when we rest. Our brokenness causes weariness and heavy burdened shoulders, but we have a promise of rest, if we turn to the One that is able to provide the very rest and healing that we need.
I've written about how difficult 2017 was for our family, and as I sit here in anticipation of 2019, I'm saddened by the heavy trends of both 2017 and 2018. I'm frustrated that so much of me wants to sit here and gripe about all of the sadness and all of the heaviness that exists in the last 2 years. I want to be angry about all of the changes and resistant to the path in life that I'm on. I'm not cut out for it. I want to fold my arms, throw a fit and just sit and ask W-H-Y?!? Why am I still on a wheel of emotions that ultimately break me down and limit movement forward? How in the world is 2019 staring me in the face, causing me feelings of regret, and all I feel is an overwhelming sense of complete disappointment?
Random, but I think about the fire making challenge on Survivor. When they get a spark but they have to be very careful to help the spark grow and not go out. Striking the flint vigorously and relentlessly in order to get a spark and then ultimately foster a flame that burns high enough to burn through a rope and raise a flag. I feel like I've spent the last 2 years striking the flint....over and over and over again with occasional success at a spark. But I feel like the spark never stands a chance. Ever. I'm exhausted. I'm obviously not competing against anyone in this 'fire challenge', except myself. There's no spot in a final 3 if I burn through the rope and raise the flag. There's no chance at a million dollars. But, there is relief for my aching shoulders. There is a Savior that is waiting patiently as I struggle on my own, just waiting for me to seek Him, and the rest He has for me and allow a renewing of my strength.
I know that relentless striking of flint indeed does NOT properly sum up 2017 and 2018. I have taken time to embrace the moments and joy around me. I know I have. But I gotta be honest, it's so frustrating that the defeat and disappointment tend to highly outweigh all the other. Maybe that is a benefit of reflection, and maybe it will ultimately give way to growth. I don't necessarily grow through the joy in my life, but I do think that the joy is what helps protect the spark that we earnestly want to burn into a flame of change.
I can't continue on this path of selfishness...restlessness...sinfulness...success determined by me, but I also can't change if I don't reach the point of surrender. Isaiah 40:31 but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.
Broken people can have hope. Romans 15:13 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
My prayer today is that I can use this time of reflection, of discomfort and disappointment, to propel me into the hope that I have in Christ...for healing and for rest. I am broken, but I am not stuck. I want to walk in the gift of grace that God has for me. I want to seek Him and find Him and settle peacefully into the path that He has laid out for me. I believe we will swirl around in brokenness until we take the time to foster our flame of hope and change. For 2019, I want to walk in healing ~ that's how I want my story to be written.
~Whitney
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