I just got back from a two week vacation that Jon and I have dreamed of doing with our girls since we purchased a motor home in 2005. We traveled from California through Utah and into Wyoming stopping at Jackson Hole and rafting the Snake River then entering Yellowstone National Park. We saw some stunning scenery, and some incredible animals.
We then continued our journey to Cody and saw a rodeo, and onto Mt. Rushmore, which is breathtaking when you first turn the corner and see it in person. We then started turning toward home with a stops in Durango, Colorado and visiting the Mesa Verde Cliff Dwellings.
Jon and I listened to a audio tape several years ago called The Hope of Prayer, by John Eldredge. We learned to start praying in advance for God to go before us when we are getting ready for a vacation. We prayed for safe travel, keeping those we love safe at home, and that we could really be refreshed and amazed by His wonderful creation. We pray with our girls every night, and continued to pray all along our trip thanking God for his gifts. We had an amazing vacation with each day being blessed in some way, whether by seeing an unexpected bear, or good weather. We traveled 3,242 miles without incident, and made memories that will stay in our hearts forever.
My first thought in sharing our vacation with you is to tell you that God wants us to rest! He honors our need to get away and rest our minds. He wants us to ask for his blessing and then be the excited recipient to all He has to offer. When we have a good rest, it helps us clear the junk from minds so that we can be ready to get back to doing God's work when we are done.
“It seems there were two
woodsmen. One day one woodsman challenged another to an all-day tree-chopping
contest. The challenger worked very hard, stopping only for a brief lunch break.
The other man had a leisurely lunch and took several breaks during the day. At
the end of the day, the challenger was surprised and annoyed to find that the
other fellow had chopped substantially more wood than he
had.
“I don’t get it,” he said.
“Every time I checked, you were taking a rest, yet you chopped more wood than I
did.”” But you didn’t notice,” said the winning woodsman, “that I was sharpening
my ax when I sat down to rest.”
I love that story because I needed time to sharpen my ax at a time when I have been very tired. I have to admit, I have had trouble writing my Blog because of so much interference going on. I even wondered if it was time to give up my Blog, and if anyone was till reading (besides my mother). This morning I checked in to find two new posts of great encouragement (thank you Greta & Cindy), and it confirmed what I had already come to know while away, I just need to get back to God's Word and sharing my heart and let the Holy Spirit do the rest.
Find rest, oh my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from Him. Psalms 62:5-7
Another kind of rest that we all need is the knowledge that we can rest in the Lord when life gets hard. Resting in the Lord means you can bring your sorrow, questions, and fears to the feet of the cross and know that there is a God who deeply loves you and wants to work on your behalf according to His will.
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Phil. 4:4-7
We came back to the news of the Colorado shooting and the devastation that has come down on that city and the many families who have been destroyed because of such evil. There are divorces and broken relationships that are causing pain to some good people I know. My own Father is still in the hospital, after a month, fighting yet another infection after battling back from pneumonia. Life deals us unexpected and devastating situations. We live in a fallen and sinful world that does not always make sense to us. We have an enemy that wants to destroy families and faith, and Satan wants to take lives and hurt us deeply.
So do not fear, for I am with you, do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. Isaiah 41:10
God has a lot of promises in His Word, and He never breaks a promise. When God says He will hold me in His hand, I take that promise and just rest in the knowledge that God is ultimately in control and can turn any situation around to have life saving results in the end.
When I was faced with life robbing cancer, I was dismayed. My world went dark, and nothing made sense. However, I had a foundation in Christ and a personal relationship with God. I took all that I knew about the character and love of God and rested in the knowledge that He could turn my tragedy into something good and purposeful. I took refuge in Him, and rested in His peace that surpasses all understanding.
Resting in good for your mental health and soul. The major benefit of resting is that we then gain energy to get back to work. When I gave my heavy burdens to God to carry for me, He gave me back a lighter load and asked me to go forward and work for Him. That is what this Blog is all about. I do the typing, and it is work. But, it is the most amazing job I have ever had. My "employer" gives me time off, and the benefits are fantastic (promises and the Holy Spirit). He turned my darkness into light and then told be to go and be His light to others. A small request when I think of the sacrifice God made for me by sending His Son Jesus to pay for my sins.
I pray that you are having a restful summer. Rest in God's love and lighten your load.
Sandy
