trust

Rest…

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Today I am tired. I had a terrible time getting to sleep last night. My brain just wouldn’t shut off and allow me the rest I needed. It was after just 3.5hrs of sleep that I got up to face the new day.

As a result, all day I have been moving a little slower and looking forward to bed a little more than normal. So this will not be a long blog entry, as I don’t want to delay my rest any longer.

Jesus said this about 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.
Matthew 11: 28, 29 NIV

Today I feel physically tired, but Jesus was talking about being spiritually tired: sad or worried or stressed to the point where you just don’t feel like you can keep going. I find it so reassuring that Jesus addresses this. That he says that his way of living is the treatment for that kind of soul-weary-ness.

My physical tiredness will be easily solved by a good night’s sleep, but the bigger problem of spiritual weariness is in the hands of my maker. And He knows just what to do with it.

If you are soul-weary, I hope you will find yourself turning to Jesus, learning from him and trusting Him to give you the rest you need.

PS – The picture at the top is my girl, Koski. And like all dogs she knows how to rest better than any human being!

Quiet…

be quiet

I found this on pinterest today, and it struck me. How much hurt would be saved if we all employed this rule? But then I got thinking even further about quietness. I believe that quiet is good for the soul.

We live in a busy, noisy, crazy world. When we go just about anywhere there is a soundtrack playing – at the mall, at the gym, the TV that is on at the doctor’s office or the radio that plays in the car. I sometimes think that we are afraid of silence, we have a fear of quiet.

I think we are afraid of it, because in the silence, in the quiet, our thoughts are revealed. There is no sound to distract ourselves with, and one either finds peace or runs into insanity.

Right now, as I sit writing in my livingroom, the only sound is the whoosh of air through the ducts as my furnace works to keep the house warm and the rhythmic swish of breath from the two dogs and a cat who are napping on their beds nearby. I am very pleased to say that it is not insanity that I am finding in this still, quiet moment. Instead, it is peace, I find here. And thankfulness for all the gifts God has given me.

If your days are busy and noisy and full of distraction, I encourage you to find some time to spend in silence. Whether it is a walk in the afternoon, turning off the radio as you drive, or finding half an hour to turn off all the noise-makers and simply sitting in quiet. As we draw ever closer to Easter, spend some time in the quiet. Hear what your soul says, listen to what the Holy Spirit might whisper to you, or just breathe and put your trust in God.

For God alone my soul waits in silence;
from him comes my salvation.
Psalm 62:1 NRSV