Thursday, January 31, 2019

Strength and Rest


Strength and Rest

What comes to mind when you think of strength and rest?  For many of you, you have gone down this journey of widowhood and are feeling Gods strength wrapped around you.  Others may be wondering if this will ever happen.  This journey in your life that has been full of changes, you may think you will never have the strength to move forward or feel restful with your new journey in life.
From my own experience and others who have walked this journey, being connected to someone that has gone down this path is so helpful.  For many, this is what gets them through to begin the process of feeling God’s peace and strength again. 
One of God’s many promises is: 1 Peter 5:10 reads: And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. You may wonder if this will ever be what you feel again.  What does this scripture have to do with what you are going through now?!  It is the hope that we will get through this journey together.

When you think of all the things you had previously planned and all the dreams you may have had, life has changed and unfortunately, we need to adjust to a new life.   What is it you enjoy or like to do as an individual?   Perhaps a new project around your home with the simplest change of a new picture to hang, or new rugs and towels in your bathroom would do the trick.  Or if you are really energetic, redoing an entire room in your home.  I know that sounds like a big project!  If this seems overwhelming, start with something smaller.

Rest assured that God is with you during this season of your life.  No matter what has changed, He wants you to know that He is with you each step of the way.   I ran across this verse the other day which reads:  Psalms 92:12: But the godly will flourish like palm trees and grow strong like the cedars of Lebanon. I thought what are the cedars of Lebanon and what does it have to do with me?  Cedar was a tree often mentioned in Scripture and was considered stately, was long branched, durable and used for boards, pillars and ceilings.  

Applying that to what God would have for us, He wants us to be strong and flourish.  What is it you would want?   For some of you, it may be to just get through today.  For others, you may take some of those dreams to travel, work on a new project, or walk beside another widow to help her through this tough time.  

One day you may just wake up and think, “I CAN do this!”   Maybe today is the day you realize God has good things for you!   There may be those days down the road when you second guess yourself.   Many times it is just blind faith that gets you through your journey. 

I encourage you to take a leap of faith!   For some of you it may just be taking that first small step today.  For others, it may be bigger than that!   What is tugging at your heart to do the next, no matter how small or big it is?

Blessings to each of you!   God has something great for each of you.  We each walk our own path and each of us has something special to offer one another.