Surviving 2020 - I Will Not Be Shaken

Congratulations!

You have survived 183 days of the year 2020! We are now in the second half of the year.

Give yourself a pat on the back and a high-five.

A trophy is in order right now too but I think some chocolate would be a good substitute.

2020 was so full of hope and promise just 6 months ago.

Jesus Followers were crying out for and anticipating revival.

Expectation was in the atmosphere and for those who had a hard 2019,

a much welcomed new beginning was on the horizon.

But here we are, halfway through the year and the hope and promise that we had

at the beginning of the year has been crushed, trampled on and all but annihilated

as if it were in the pathway of the most destructive bomb ever invented.

With the tribulations and trials that have been hurled at us by a blind machete thrower

at a throwing competition, it’s a miracle we have made it this far. 

Where is the revival that so many had said God told them was coming? 

Where is all the good that many said 2020 would bring? 

Where are the new beginnings? 

And, where is the joy this year was to be filled with? 

The fact that we have lost the ability to meet in large groups,

and do the things we think define our faith and who we are, is in my opinion,

somewhat of a good thing.

We needed to get out of the religious rut and get back to a relationship with our Creator.

In some ways I have seen similarities to the Isrealites’ exile in what we are experiencing.

We have in a sense, been uprooted from our churches, work places,

gathering places with friends and families, and all that we know to be normal.

The Isrealites were removed from their homes, their livelihood, unable to worship in the Temple,

and sent into a land that was not friendly to them.

I am not saying that God poured out sickness, destruction, murder, fires, earthquakes, tornadoes,

and everything else as vengeance or wrath or judgment.

I am saying that through ALL of this,

God is SOVEREIGN and uses EVERYTHING for His good and His purpose.

I have been diving deeper into God’s Word this year, deeper than I have ever gone before.

(Come on in, the Living Water is amazing!)

I have seen a pattern that I have seen in the past but I have noticed more this year.

Humans were created for intimate relationship with the Creator of the universe.

We (humanity) walk in relationship with God for a while trusting His wisdom and goodness,

then we sadly choose to do what is right in our own eyes.

This puts a fissure in the relationship and bad things happen. We live and act in our brokenness.

Then, when it gets so incredibly bad that we think it cannot get any worse,

we come to our senses and return to God.

He accepts us, heals our brokenness and restores us into a renewed relationship with Him,

only for us to turn from Him and choose to do what is right in our own eyes, again.

It is a cycle that continues throughout the generations. Psalm 78 sums it up really well.

At the beginning of this year many people quoted Joel 2:28 when saying that God

was going to do something big this year.

“...I will pour out my Spirit on all people.

Your sons and daughters will prophesy,

your old men will dream dreams,

your young men will see visions.”

We really need to look at the first part of that verse,

then also more importantly read the first chapter and everything that happened before Joel 2:28.

The first words of Joel 2:28 are “And afterward,”

those very important words are often ignored when quoting God’s outpouring. 

You have to ask, "After what?"

Let’s look and see.

First, there is a complete destruction of the land through locusts.

So much so that it would be talked about for generations.

Then an army stronger and more destructive than any before, attacks the people.

It kinda feels like we are living in the time of Joel to a point, doesn’t it?

Imagine, so much despair and loss of hope.

In the midst of this turmoil there is a call for deep repentance, twice.

Joel 1:13-14 and Joel 2:12-17

God says to return to Him with all your heart.

We can see that the people have chosen to do what is right in their own eyes.

God is calling for a repentance that is not an outward showing,

not virtue signalling, or empty words.

He requires of us a true, humble and complete heart change.

What are you doing that is right in your own eyes, but not in God's?

It may not necessarily be wrong or sin, but it isn't God's best for you.

Not only are the Israelites called to examine their hearts. We must examine ours.

Then, after repentance, will God pour out His Spirit.

We also have to realize that the pouring out of God’s Spirit has already happened.

If you read Acts 2, you will see Peter quoting Joel,

when God’s Spirit poured out as tongues of fire.
And the Holy Spirit has continued to pour out from that moment, all the way to the present.

This outpouring was not a one time, isolated event.

It is a continuous event that we are still experiencing today.

So what we are actually asking is for, is a fresh outpouring, a new awakening.

A fanning of the flame that has already been ignited.

All of us are needing a renewal of spirit and mind.

We are all weary and the burden right now does not seem light.

It seems as if chaos has taken over and peace is nowhere to be found.

While we begin the second half of the year that seems to never end,

get yourself into a place with God.

Get in God’s presence. We do not need a Sunday service in a church building to do this.

Spend time reading His Word - May I suggest Psalms to start. 

Play worship music- Worship is a great way to combat the chaos and stress, it brings peace.

In fact when I feel like I am under attack, I start to worship.

Get alone and go for a walk and just talk to Him.

It’s okay to tell Him you are stressed, feeling defeated, angry, confused…

He wants a relationship, and an honest conversation is integral to a solid relationship.

Then, after you do any of the above, be quiet and listen for Him to whisper to your soul.

He speaks, He comforts, He strengthens, He restores, He brings rest, peace and joy.

2020 is a year that will be remembered. 

Will you remember it as a year of hardship and defeat? 

Will you remember it as the year of a new not normal?

Or, will you remember it as a year when God showed up in a monumental way

and did more than just carry you through.

A year where you had a fresh outpouring of His Spirit and a new revelation of who God is. 

He is gracious, compassionate, rich in faithful love. 

He is the God who sees you, the God who heals you, the God who fights for you,

the God who supplies everything you need, the God who gives you peace,

the God who gives you rest, the God who gives you joy,

and the God who comforts you.

Rest in God alone, my soul,

for my hope comes from Him.

He alone is my rock and my salvation, my stronghold:

I will not be shaken.

My salvation and glory depend on God, my strong rock.

My refuge is in God.

Trust in Him at all times, you people;

pour out your hearts before Him.

God is our refuge.

Psalm 62:5-8

Taking a Break

Today was the first day of what I am calling our Fall Break or what we have recently been dubbed as Columbus Vacation. No, I do not regard Columbus so much that think he deserves a week nor do I even think he even deserves a day, in fact we usually study Leif Ericson on Columbus day. But this year the week falls on Columbus Day so naturally we just had to call it Columbus Vacation. No matter what we call it, it’s a week off. When I was planning out our official school year I knew we would need a break right • about • now. Last week confirmed we were all ready to take a school break. In years past, I would feel guilty taking a break during the school year. Even when the schools in town were taking days off, I would still feel guilty taking the time off. We take days off when we were feeling burnt out but still, I beat myself up for taking time to relax. Seriously, I knew we all need time to breathe and rest but would fight myself to let us all take a break. Truth is, we all need time to rest. Planning and teaching school while running a house and for some of us, working, takes a lot of energy and creative thinking. As kids they need times where we are not in teacher mode. Not just part of the day but decent chunks of time. And we need time to regroup, do house projects that take more than a few hours and we need rest.

This year I have learned a lot about taking a Sabbath rest. I don’t rest well or at all. I only rest when I get sick and even then I push myself to get back on my feet as fast as possible. I don’t go on vacations and when I do have time off I find myself making a list of to-dos. I think when it comes to school, I am afraid that I won’t get it all in, or that we are always behind (whatever that means), or well like I am failing. 

But here’s the deal. We all need breaks. God invented rest. And taking a break from school is good. So this week I am practicing not beating myself up while we rest. I will prep and plan for the upcoming weeks of fall fun, but letting myself take a break without beating myself up is my main goal. I need rest and the kids need me to be in mommy mode without being in teacher mode.

P52 Fiesta or Siesta

This week’s theme for the P 52 Photography Challenge is – Fiesta or Siesta. Really having no idea what I was going to post for this picture, I started going through all the pictures I took this week while we were on a field trip to an Arboretum a couple hours away from us. The Arboretum was so much fun but the temperature dropped quickly and we had to cut our visit a little short. I hope we can go back again soon; there are so many more areas to explore.

While at the Arboretum, we spied this little turtle taking an afternoon siesta in the afternoon sun while floating on the algae in the creek.

I cannot relate to turtles at all. Really, to take an afternoon siesta, just doesn’t happen for me. I have to consciously make an effort to relax. I always have a list of things to get done. Even when I go to bed, I am running through the list of things I accomplished and moving what I didn’t onto the next day’s list while trying to figure out the best way to fit everything in. And I never get it all done no matter how hard I try. Life seems to always get in the way of my over planned day. I am very much a Martha and have been for as long as I can remember.

I really need to remember that it is okay to be a Mary and rest at His feet. This year God has been reminding me to just rest in Him. Take a siesta (figuratively), be quiet and still so that I can just soak in what He has for me. Some days are easier than others to remember to take a few moments to just be. Making my brain stop is hard though. Even when I am too tired to think, it seems I am still over thinking, and remembering to rest in the Lord and rejuvenate is difficult to do. I know I need to the lesson of the turtle, take it easy and just rest a while.

Luke 10:38-42
While they were traveling, He entered a village, and a woman named Martha welcomed Him into her home. She had a sister named Mary, who also sat at the Lord’s feet and was listening to what He said. But Martha was distracted by her many tasks, and she came up and asked, “Lord, don’t You care that my sister has left me to serve alone? So tell her to give me a hand.”
The Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and upset about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has made the right choice, and it will not be taken away from her.”

This post is linked to P52 Photography Challenge with Darcy at Life With My 3 Boybarians.

Mommy Lesson 16 - Mommies Need Rest

Did you know that it is okay to rest? Moms tend to go a million miles a second trying to get everything done that needs to get done and by the end of the day we crash into bet only to often be woken up before it is dawn and then hopefully get a little bit more sleep before it is time to get up and start the constant go all over again. It’s the cycle of mommy life. After the initial shock you get used to it and somehow learn to function on less uninterrupted sleep than you ever did before. Probably because you increased your caffeine intake exponentially. (At least that’s what I did.)

For me, when I sit for more than 10 minutes to just relax I start to feel guilty that I am not completing another task on my to-do list that is longer than Santa’s Naughty/Nice list. But rest is important, no, it is essential. It is okay to take a break from the craziness and breathe for a moment. Drink a cup of tea, eat a piece of chocolate, or whatever you do that makes you smile.

Remember even God rested on the 7th day. Don’t feel guilty that you are not constantly being productive and busy every moment of every day. Take a moment to snuggle with your littles and curl up on the couch or your favorite chair with a book. A moment to just be in the moment. I’m telling you, you will be more productive when you are well rested than if you are running ragged.

Genesis 2:2 (HCSB) By the seventh day, God completed His work that He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work that He had done.

Matthew 11:28 (HCSB) "Come to Me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.