Finding Strength

Lately my plate has been full and I have been exhausted. It's been hard to work 50+ hour weeks and only have Sundays off. I have one day to get chores done and also rest and relax before starting the next week. I am beyond thankful to have a job, but lately it has seemed heavy at the same time. The Lord really spoke to me today though and told me to come to Him for rest and refreshment. In order to get through this busy season of life I need to cling tightly to the Lord's hand instead of grasping for other things. When I grasp for other things it causes me to turn my focus away from Him. This is my chance to give the Lord an opportunity to take charge of my life. How much more simple life can be when I accept that this, right here right now, is where God has me and intends for me to be. I just need to let Him guide me through the many choices along life's pathway and allow Him to direct me. He will give me the strength I need to make it through the week. He will give me the rest I need.

"Look to the Lord and his strength; seek his face always."

- Psalm 105:4

Our Weekend

I know it's almost the weekend again, but I still wanted to post about our last weekend up north with family and friends. June has been the busiest month of our year so far, so it was a very relaxing get away where we were able to leave behind work, cell phones, worries, and enjoy time with friends and family.  When we go up north, we call it the cabin, but really it's a house that Andrew's grandparents live in during the spring, summer, and fall months.  We had the privilege of bringing mine and Andrew's good friends Luke and Laura with us and their 2 month old baby girl named Audrey.  Here is a glimpse of our weekend in some snapshots:

This was my seat partner on the way up north… She was great!  Slept the whole time.

This is the lake we stay on.  Shirt Lake in Deerwood, MN.  It's so peaceful!

Taking an afternoon snooze on Kathy's shoulder.  I love those cheeks!

Photo shoot time with my favorite baby girl.

Hanging outside with Audrey.

Andrew's cousin Grace holding baby Audrey.

Getting ready for a mosquito filled walked with Emily and Kathryn.

My friend Laura, Andrew's cousins Emily and Kayla, Andrew's sister Kathryn, and me.

Here is a lovely bunch of wildflowers that I picked while on a walk.

Audrey all tuckered out from the walk.

Me, Laura, and Grace about to go extreme tubing.

Andrew and Grace watching the boys tube.

Me and Andrew catching some rays. It was a beautiful day.

 

Grace and I kayaking around the lake.

This was a very much needed fun and relaxing weekend. We were so thankful that we were able to share the weekend with Luke, Laura, Audrey, and family. It's hard for us to get up north with managing our apartment building. Turnovers are popular on weekends and we have to find coverage for our building in order to be gone. We were very thankful that everything worked out for us to go up north last weekend. We were able to start the week feeling refreshed, and well rested.

Resting In Him

Have you ever felt like just curling up in a dark closet to escape the stressors of life?  My last two weeks have made me feel like I could do just that until the month of June is over. I've been so busy, and I feel like I have been going non-stop with no breaks to just sit and relax. I haven't been sleeping well at night because my mind is constantly making mental notes of what I can cross off my to-do list, what I have to add to my to-do list, and what is already on my to-do list that still needs to get done. By the end of this week I felt like I had gotten to the end of my rope, tied a knot, and have been hanging on for dear life. I couldn't even figure out what day of the week we were on by looking at my calendar. The Lord has been quietly nudging me and telling me to rest, but I am so stubborn that I think to myself, I'll rest later once I finish my to-do list. There is always something to add to my to-do list though, and rest keeps getting put on the back burner. With every passing day the last two weeks, I have found myself getting crabbier and more irritable over littler things that normally wouldn't bother me. I have grown less patient with my husband, and we have fought more each day over stupid things that we would normally never fight about. Today I finally opened my ears to what the Lord has been telling me to do. I took a few hours and I rested and this is what I realized:

When I grow weary and cry for more energy to make it through the day, I need to trust the Lord with my many worries and responsibilities. I need to rest when He tells me to. He is my heavenly Father and He knows what I need. This is why the Lord gives us one day each week to set aside all of our work, and rest. I need to allow my body and mind to refuel while I rest so that I can be more effective in what I do. The Lord wants me to let Him be my refuge when I'm weary from life. He is the one who wants to bear all my burdens. I need to rest in Him to receive His perfect peace, which will refresh and renew my strength. The Lord longs to give rest to my soul and peace in my heart. I need to position myself completely in the Lord's care and let go of all of the things that race through my mind. Then I will find true peace. In the middle of chaos and busyness, the Lord will always be my safe place - a place of peace. 

"Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest." -Matthew 11:28

"But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint." -Isaiah 40:31

I've been so busy and consumed in my own plans the last couple of weeks that I haven't even taken much time for my Lord. This makes my heart sad to know that the Lord creates each day for me and I can't even find a minute to thank him. This coming week I am going to make sure I take a few minutes to an hour each day to just rest in the Lord and thank him for the day. I am going to say no to people so that I don't over-committ myself and cram up my schedule to the point where I burn myself out. I am going to capture each day individually and not waste my strength in the present day worrying about tomorrow. Each day is the Lord's gift to me and I want to be able to enjoy it. If I look for God in each day He gives me, I will see the world differently. I want to live each day to the fullest, and that does not mean cramming every event I can into each day. I am going to start living each day for that day.

"This is the day the Lord has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it." -Psalm 118:24