I am sure many of my regular readers have noticed I have taken some time off from writing. I truly needed some time to re-focus myself and let things slow down in my life. Interestingly enough in the midst of me trying to allow my life to slow down I have found that the opposite result has occurred. This is my busiest month since summer and yet God has granted a great sense of peace about it. I must admit I did not feel so at peace before Christmas.
This has been a rather challenging season of our lives. However, what kind of life would it be without challenges. It is through these challenges that I am strengthened, sharpened and renewed. Without it I find I begin to become dull and lack luster about everything in my life.
This shift in my attitude came over the last few weeks as we progressed through the Christmas season into this New Year. I was able to get a lot of much needed rest over this season, some forced on me by illness. This rest gave me the time to re-focus and prepare myself for this new year.
I believe this time of rest was to help me get a fresh perspective. To help with this shift of perspective, my church starts every year with prayer. The only time open on the best day for me was early in the morning, after a season of sleeping in, waking up at 5:00 am was not so easy. When I got to prayer, God started to unravel the last few months and was showing me where I had become discouraged. This year our church's focus is on choices and this really struck home to me.
Every day we face challenges and we have the choice of whether or not we are going to run to God and fight for what is right in our lives, or run away from God and allow discouragement to seep into our lives. I guess in a way this is like our spiritual fight or flight response.
As my prayer time was wrapping up, the Scripture that became my focus was my Grandma's favourite Scripture verse, but it came alive to me in a new way. Isaiah 40:31 "but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint." The question that came to my mind when I read it was "How do I hope in the Lord?" and two things came to mind. First is by taking my eyes off my circumstance and looking to Him, and secondly remembering in that moment when my eyes are on Him that He is in control of everything. It is when these two things come together that we experience true hope in the LORD and when we realize that God is in control, it really does renew our strength and builds us up again. It brings us to a place of freedom knowing we don't have to make things come together, that is God's job. All we need to do is trust in Him and keep our eyes focused on Him and we will soar above the clouds admiring the beauty that God creates.
Ultimately, everything in life comes down to what choices are we going to make this year. Are we going to run to God or away from Him? Are we going to hope in Him or hope in our abilities? Are we going to look to God to be in control or are we looking at how we are going to manage our circumstances? The CHOICE is yours!
This has been a rather challenging season of our lives. However, what kind of life would it be without challenges. It is through these challenges that I am strengthened, sharpened and renewed. Without it I find I begin to become dull and lack luster about everything in my life.
This shift in my attitude came over the last few weeks as we progressed through the Christmas season into this New Year. I was able to get a lot of much needed rest over this season, some forced on me by illness. This rest gave me the time to re-focus and prepare myself for this new year.
I believe this time of rest was to help me get a fresh perspective. To help with this shift of perspective, my church starts every year with prayer. The only time open on the best day for me was early in the morning, after a season of sleeping in, waking up at 5:00 am was not so easy. When I got to prayer, God started to unravel the last few months and was showing me where I had become discouraged. This year our church's focus is on choices and this really struck home to me.
Every day we face challenges and we have the choice of whether or not we are going to run to God and fight for what is right in our lives, or run away from God and allow discouragement to seep into our lives. I guess in a way this is like our spiritual fight or flight response.
As my prayer time was wrapping up, the Scripture that became my focus was my Grandma's favourite Scripture verse, but it came alive to me in a new way. Isaiah 40:31 "but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint." The question that came to my mind when I read it was "How do I hope in the Lord?" and two things came to mind. First is by taking my eyes off my circumstance and looking to Him, and secondly remembering in that moment when my eyes are on Him that He is in control of everything. It is when these two things come together that we experience true hope in the LORD and when we realize that God is in control, it really does renew our strength and builds us up again. It brings us to a place of freedom knowing we don't have to make things come together, that is God's job. All we need to do is trust in Him and keep our eyes focused on Him and we will soar above the clouds admiring the beauty that God creates.
Ultimately, everything in life comes down to what choices are we going to make this year. Are we going to run to God or away from Him? Are we going to hope in Him or hope in our abilities? Are we going to look to God to be in control or are we looking at how we are going to manage our circumstances? The CHOICE is yours!