Think straight. Awaken to the holiness of life. No more playing fast and loose with resurrection facts. Ignorance of God is a luxury you can’t afford in times like these. . .
(1 Corinthians 15:34 The Message)
Death has been knocking on many doors this month. My uncle. My friend’s husband. My sister’s grandfather-in-law. A high school friend lost her father. A good friend suddenly lost her neighbor and good friend. The shocking news of blow after blow of death has my heart reeling and I can’t even imagine the sting these dear family and friends are enduring.
Yet death does not get the last word. Resurrection does! Death is a door into victory according to Jesus and His triumph.
Yet the pain of death is real, and even with the great comfort of God’s promise that death has been defeated, I need to observe the grief. Feel it. Cry it out. Let it be.
One way that I process my feelings is through writing. So I decided to write another abc poem to help pour out some of my feelings into words.
Anguish
Bitterness
Crying Out
Death
Effort
Failures
Giving up
Hiding
Inside myself
Jumbled feelings
Killing desire
Leaving
Me
Needing
Opportunity to
Pour out
Questions, and needing
Relief . . . rest.
Space to
Unwind, to
View life
With God’s
Xpertise and perspective.
Yielding to peaceful moments, allowing God to restore
Zest to my life.
(Zest means a feeling of enjoyment and enthusiasm. So often grief robs us of the ability to enjoy daily life. Enthusiasm is God breathing in us. He helps us to observe grief in light of His unwavering love.)
Tag: rest
(re)set: to change the reading of often to zero
God said, “My presence will go with you. I’ll see the journey to the end.” (Exodus 33:14 The Message)
Often I dream about carefree days. No responsibilities. The freedom to just take a whole month off for some much needed R&R.
Today in Jesus Calling, I read these lines: “You are among these weary ones, who are like wounded soldiers needing R&R. Take time to rest in the Love-Light of My Presence. I will gradually restore to you the energy that you have lost over the years.”
Often life seems to be going from zero to 110mph in seconds.
Today, Jesus calls me to reset. To change my pace from often to zero. To take the time off. So for the next month, I am accepting the invitation for rest and recuperation. Some good old fashioned rest and recreation is just what I need.
“Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.” (Matthew 11:28-30 The Message)
Linking with Jesus today! Be back in a month or so . . .
Also linking with The Sunday Community, Sunday Stillness and Still Saturday…
I will be posting my Making Manifest posts on Thursdays at my other blog for the rest of May.
(re)new: to restore to freshness, vigor and perfection
When you send forth your Spirit,they are created,
and you renew the face of the ground. (Psalm 104:30 ESV)
Linking with The Sunday Community, Still Saturday and Sunday Stillness
un(stoppable): incapable of being stopped
Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted. (Hebrews 12:3 ESV)
Unstoppable, Jesus set His face toward the steep hill. Step by excruciating step. Searing pain emanating from His back weighed down, under the burden of His cross. Carrying death on His raw, bleeding back, so we could rest easy. So we might not grow weary. He endured it all without regret, for us to embrace peace, experience joy and cling to hope in the face of our own versions of suffering.
Before Jesus offered Himself on the cross, before He died, He challenged the disciples to follow Him by denying themselves and taking up their cross daily. He was using this metaphor to foreshadow the way He would die.
Yet, I often wonder, what the disciples thought He meant. Why would He make a reference to taking up the cross, how morbid? That was how criminals died. They weren’t criminals.
Yet, haven’t we been robbing God since the beginning of time? Stealing His glory. Congratulating ourselves. Look at me! Look what I did!
All in vain, because the Father isn’t interested in our accomplishments, He wants our company. Jesus invites us to give up our self-effort. Then we will be unstoppable, just like Him!
Then he told them what they could expect for themselves: “Anyone who intends to come with me has to let me lead. You’re not in the driver’s seat—I am. Don’t run from suffering; embrace it. Follow me and I’ll show you how. Self-help is no help at all. Self-sacrifice is the way, my way, to finding yourself, your true self. What good would it do to get everything you want and lose you, the real you? (Luke 9:23-25 The Message)
un(forced): effortless; not obtained by force
Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly. (Matthew 11:28-30 The Message)
Linking with The Sunday Community, Still Saturday and Sunday Stillness
Intuition Diaries 