Our walk with God is often compared to walking in a dark hallway without a light. Yet, despite how often that comparison is made, it is false. We may be walking in a hall that is hard to see in, but God has given us the light we need. The moment we received Him and the Holy Spirit came to live in us, a light was sparked that will never go out. Read more for letting your light shine unhindered.
It was 3 am and they were still working. Coffee was what kept them awake and final projects were slowly getting completed. It was the second week in a row they had pulled at least one all-nighter, stressed and overwhelmed by the sheer amount of work needed to be completed. They yearned for sleep, and an escape from all the work that needed to be done, yet were met with silence and another labored page for their essay.
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.
On my early morning walk, feeling the weight of the world on my shoulders, I glanced up through a small clearing in the trees. In one quick glance I noted the sun, 2 airplanes at different elevations and going in different directions, an eagle, and a common sparrow.
I never question whether or not the sun will rise–I just look forward to basking in its warmth. When I fly, I sit back in my too-crowded airplane seat and busy myself reading a book or writing my own. I never worry about how the pilot will get me to my destination, I just trust that he will. I never get fearful those birds will drop from the sky (just maybe WHAT they will drop :).
“I think it’s time for a change,” he relayed, with a mixture of frustration, anger, and weariness written across his face.
I had sensed it for a long time, but had been waiting for confirmation from the Lord.
Maybe I had that all along, but fear of change kept me from acknowledging it. I can’t really be sure.
Can I be honest? I think I have a tendency to get caught up in the obsession of sameness.
