Tag: rest

thoughts

peace (on earth)

alyssapebbles

Another year has gone by, full of hopes and disappointments, successes and failures.

Sometimes the failures seem to outweigh the successes. It can be easy to become discouraged around this time of year, when the idea “Christmas cheer” feels more ironic than true. It can intensify and magnify our hurts and pains; remind us that we are not where we would like to be.

You’re not alone if you feel alone. If you feel discouraged, downtrodden, or weary. If you wonder when God is going to come through on His promises to you. If you have no idea what this next year is going to bring, and you feel tired of not knowing.

You’re not alone.

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. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.

~Matthew 11:28-30

My favorite verse. The one He never stops beckoning me to, inviting me to be still, and to know that He is God. To know it with all my heart, soul, and mind. That He is the one in control, and all I have to do is trust Him. All I have to do is lift my weary countenance to His endlessly loving Presence, and remember who He is and what He has done for me.

Remember that I did not save myself. That I never can save myself.

When we truly enter His rest, there is no more striving. There is no more fear, doubt, or shame. There is nothing but me and Him- and His perfect peace.

When you really see Jesus, I defy you to doubt Him. If you see Him when He says, “Let not your heart be troubled…” (John 14:27), I defy you to worry. It is virtually impossible to doubt when He is there. Every time you are in personal contact with Jesus, His words are real to you. “My peace I give to you…” (John 14:27)- a peace which brings an unconstrained confidence and covers you completely, from the top of your head to the soles of your feet. “…your life is hidden with Christ in God,” and the peace of Jesus Christ that cannot be disturbed has been imparted to you.

~Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest 

Let’s allow our hearts to fully enter that rest; to be fully embraced by a perfect and loving God who has the very best intentions for us. One who cannot fail us or let us down. One who will always remain the same, unchanging in His unconditional love for us. Why wouldn’t we trust such a One? Why wouldn’t surrender our lives to Him?

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.

~John 3:16-17

He is worthy. I am not, but I rest in the One who is. And that is my hope in this season- in every season. I only pray I can grow more and more in the knowledge of His love and goodness; that He would so fill me with Himself that I can be free from fear and doubt for the rest of my time in this world, and walk in His perfect peace.

I think Peter Pan understood this when he said:

All you need is a little faith, trust, and pixie dust!

Peurto Rico 2018

intermission

alyssapebbles

This island getaway comes at a timely point in my life, and gives me ample time to think and process through the current circumstances of my life… to hear what He wants to tell me if I’ll listen.

What a precious gift…this life. That we are loved by our Maker and that He so carefully and intentionally crafted us to be just as we are. That He enjoys what He has created and even delights in it- He delights in us.

It’s hard to be in a place as beautiful as this without noticing that I’m being noticed. That I’m valuable to Him not because I ever did anything right, but because I was formed by His hands. Can’t we trust in that; isn’t that the surest and most solid foundation to rest in?

He teaches me to rest and to play. These are the things we have to learn after a lifetime of being told (explicitly and implicitly) our value is in what we do. We don’t know how to be.

So here I am, being me, without anything but His arms to hold me up.

 

Uncategorized

choice

alyssapebbles

Sometimes you find yourself in a place where you have two choices: keep going or give up. To keep going feels impossibly hard, but to give up feels equally painful.

What do you do?

God doesn’t call us to easy things, but He does make a way where we don’t see one. If we will just continue to say yes to Him and His promises, He will not let us down. We may not see immediate effects, but the fruit will come.

In times like these, I have to rely on Him alone. He uses so many people to speak into my life and fill me with truth, but ultimately it is my decision. My decision to believe what He says about me, to take hold of His promises for me- to take ownership of the circumstances He has given me and be a good steward. My decision to take up my cross and follow Him, whatever may come. And then, when my own strength fails (which it does all the time), His strength will come into me. I cannot rely on myself- my feelings are fickle and always lead me astray. But HE is reliable. HE alone is my salvation, and HE guides me into abundant life. 

When fear and anxiety are taking over and consuming you, DO NOT GIVE UP. Do not let those voices win. Listen to your Father- He loves you. His voice is not hurried or rushed, fear-arousing or anxiety-producing. His voice is calm and graceful, trustworthy and true.

Let His love define you. Let His love shape you. Let Him take care of you, and make you well. In Him we find healing, truth, and rest.

Rest in Him. He will provide and you will not be disappointed.

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rhythm & rest

alyssapebbles

When I try to be everything for everyone, I burn out so quickly.

We are not made to please others. We are made to please God. 

The LORD is for me, so I will have no fear. What can mere people do to me? ~Psalm 118:6

It’s so easy to take on other people’s burdens and baggage and get carried away, forgetting our center is in Christ and Christ alone. Our relationship with Him comes first, and then comes our relationships with others.

I always have to catch myself when the bitterness, resentment, and cynicism begin to fester inside of me- that’s when I know something is off. I am not getting that refilling, replenishing time with the Lord, my Father and the God who loves me. I’m letting what other people say about me dictate who I am; or rather, what I believe others’ perceptions of me are.

I am not my mistakes, I am not my sin. I am free and beloved in Christ.

Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. ~Romans 8:1

Sometimes the voice of perfection is so loud that I can hardly hear God over the noise. It makes me feel smaller and smaller as the anxiety takes over. I call it “shoulding” on myself.

“You should be smarter.”

“You should have done that differently.”

“You should be better than you are.”

You get the picture. The “shoulds” become so strong that they drown out the “ares.”

My Father:

“You are loved.”

“You are precious.”

“You are safe.”

and

“I AM ENOUGH.”

My best friend gave me a necklace before I left with the Maya Angelou quote on it: “You alone are enough.” And it’s true, He is. When I can’t see the way before me and am desperately trying to cling on to everything and everyone but Him, I feel a severe lack-and an intense exhaustion and burnout. But when I go to Him first, I am reminded that He is a good God who cares for me and meets me in my deepest longing and pain- and that it has to start there.

It has to start with Him.

When I come to Him first, He will order my life- I will find my own personal rhythm with Him. We don’t need to move at the pace that everyone else does or expects us to; each of us has our own relationship with Christ that calls us to unique ways of being. There is no comparison.

And finally, He calls us to rest. To be with Him. To sit with Him. To know Him. Life is messy and crazy and if we don’t find time to be alone with Him, we will spin out of control. Life apart from God is no life at all.

It’s easy to perform- it’s so much harder to trust God with our authentic selves and let Him shape us as He desires instead of forcing our own way.

I always go back to this one:

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

Don’t let the burdens overcome you- we have a Father who is willing and able to take those burdens so we can live freely and lightly.

Let go.