What do you think of when you hear the word, “Rest”? Or “Be still”? Can I be honest and tell you, that those are two of the hardest things for me to do, and yet, I sometimes find myself smack dab in the place where that is what God is asking of me. God’s timing is perfect though. He showed me clearly during a time away a few years ago that it’s not only good to take a time of rest after the weariness of the battle, but He commands it.
I had just turned in my manuscript to my publisher for my new book about overcoming worry, fear, and anxiety (releasing fall, 2019) when people began to ask the obvious question, “What are you going to do now?”
I didn’t have a ready answer for that. I had originally assumed that as soon as I turned in the manuscript for that book, I would begin work on a companion Bible study. Yet when the time came, it didn’t sit well in my spirit.
Over the next couple of weeks, God shared his plan for my next season: a season of rest.
As I stilled my heart during morning quiet time with the Lord, He spoke to me and said, “You know what you’re struggling with is not something you battle just during the Christmas season. You have a tendency to jump into problem solving and doing mode.”
The more God got a hold of my heart and spoke to me, the more I realized that my problem solving and doing mode excludes God from the process. It takes God out of the picture.
Read more for my best tip on how to relieve stress at Christmas and throughout the year.
I remember it as if it was yesterday. I stared into the mirror but didn’t recognize the reflection gazing back at me.
Who was she? How did she get here? When did it happen?
I had fallen into depression’s pit.
My productive life turned into a struggle for existence.
As I surveyed my bathroom vanity, the signs of my normal life remained: toothbrush and toothpaste, vitamins, makeup…but the motivation to engage no longer existed.
