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Go Ahead And Take A Nap

Go Ahead And Take A Nap

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I came home with the intention of getting some reading done today. The next thing I know…I was waking up. How in the world did that happen??? I just sat down for a few minutes. 

Ughhhhh…getting old is no joke! I always say that it is not for the faint of heart.

Let me tell you, at first I was a little concerned. I mean, I never took naps. I didn’t need them. I could stay up all night, go to work, come home and do it all over again. Of course, I was twentysomething then. That, in itself explains a lot…lol. I could do a lot then that I can’t do now.

The thing is…I don’t think I would change anything. I don’t want to go back in time, and do it all again. I love the age that I am. I worked hard to get here. 

Maybe I could use a little fine tuning. Be a little kinder to myself. Go to sleep on time, eat a better diet, drink more water, eat less junk food, and stop stressing about stuff. 

Come to think of it, that’s good advice for any age.

God gives us the opportunity to self-correct. He really is the God of second chances. He loves us so much, and always wants the best for us. He wants us to live our best lives. Of course, that means different things to different people, 

To me, it means living a life that is totally sold out to Him. Knowing that there is no material thing that can give me what He can.Things like peace, joy, love, faith, hope…all come from living a life that is based on pleasing Him, and I always want to please Him.

Our bodies are not meant to last forever, but our souls are. And that’s the most important part, right? Prayerfully, we will all get to be super heroes (that’s what I call seniors) one day. I love knowing that no matter what age we are, when we give our lives to the Lord, Jesus Christ, we never die…we just get eternal life with Him. Thank You, Lord!

So, maybe our bodies don’t cooperate the way they used to. That’s ok. Just keep trusting God, enjoying the journey, and taking a good nap every now and then.

Until next time…

Be blessed

The Pursuit of Peace in 2024!

The Pursuit of Peace in 2024!

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We made it! We have crossed over from 2023 into the year 2024. I am always excited to go from one year to the next. Being able to look back over the previous year, yet not knowing what this new year is going to bring.

This year I have determined to pursue peace. And I’m not just doing lip service. I know that because it really wasn’t my idea. God spoke it to me during one of my morning devotions, and He gave me scripture to back it up. Psalm 34:14 in part says, “Seek peace, and pursue it.” Here’s the thing…I didn’t really know what pursuing peace meant. How do you “pursue” peace? 

So I did what any good Christian would do. I googled it. One definition said that it means to actively chase after, to follow, or to seek out. But I liked the one that said peace is being at rest in Jesus. Pursuing peace is pursuing Jesus. That revelation just blew me away.

I know it’s not going to be easy, because once you actively pursue anything for God, the enemy comes in like a flood. But the Bible says in Isaiah 59:19 that when that happens “God will raise up a standard against him.” That means that whatever that thing is that’s trying to come against us gets God’s attention, and he will put up a barrier on our behalf. 

Look. I don’t know a lot of things, but I know the Bible says that “He will never leave me nor forsake me (Deut. 31:6). And that gives me all the strength I need.

Until next time…

Be blessed

It’s OK to Take Time to Rest

It’s OK to Take Time to Rest

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Ok, so today at church my pastor spoke about the sabbath, and how it was set aside as a day of rest…not for God, but for us.

He talked about how many people get so hooked up on when the sabbath is supposed to be that they forget what the whole purpose of what the day is supposed to be for. What he said was that the sabbath may be different depending on your faith. The point is…that it was intended to be a day of rest. And whatever day you set aside…just make sure it is set aside unto God.

I was blown away. Not so much because of what he said, but because I will be speaking on a similar topic at a women’s conference in August. God is so strategic, I love how he confirms that what you are doing is on track. He even reminded me of a few things that I needed to include. 

Rest is one of those things that people get so mixed up. Either we rest so much that we don’t get anything done, or we never take time to really let our bodies rest, because we feel so guilty. We really believe that if we are not doing anything, we need to find something to do. 

And to prove that point, on my way home from church I stopped to talk to my nephew, and he said he wasn’t doing anything but lying around, so he was thinking about working on his car. I told him to just let his body rest, and you know what he said…”I’ll rest when I’m dead.” 

I don’t know about you, but I don’t want that to be the only time I take time to rest.

I am so excited about this conference now, because I know that there is going to be someone in attendance that God is trying to reach. He always gives me a specific word that sometimes doesn’t even make sense to me. But I have learned not to question it. I just do exactly what He says, and let the Holy Spirit do the rest. 

I can’t wait to tell you all about it.

Until next time…

Be blessed

Making Myself A Priority

Making Myself A Priority

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I was listening to a message this morning that reminded me of something I went through a while ago. 

A few years ago, I took part in a service at my church for ministry workers. One of the things I love is being in the house of the Lord. It just does it for me. I love worship. I love praise music. I love God’s word…and I love the atmosphere. 

The thing is that even though I love these things, sometimes my body and my spirit are just tired. I didn’t recognize it at the time, because I thought pushing myself was what I was supposed to do. I remember going to the service, but not really looking forward to it. It wasn’t because I didn’t think the service would be good, I was just suffering from trying to be everything to everybody…except me.

Being tired was all a part of what working for the Lord was all about, right?

God gave me a good brain, but I definitely was not using it the way He intended. Saying no…to anybody was hard for me. I wanted to be the one folks could count on. That kind of thinking is not healthy, and it is definitely not what God was asking me to do. 

So glad that we serve a God of second chances. I have learned that it is perfectly fine to say no. It is also perfectly fine not to go to church every time the church doors open. Look, if God is calling you to rest…then rest. 

The world will still keep spinning even while you take a nap.

It’s hard to think straight when we don’t have the proper rest. When we are physically, emotionally or spiritually tired…we are not able to make the best decisions (Best believe the enemy takes advantage of that). 

Take some time to care for yourself, and do things that you want to do…even if no one else wants to. 

To make sure that I make myself a priority, I am making a promise to myself to be diligent about staying in God’s word, make sure that I am getting enough rest, and I will work on surrounding myself with people who want the best for me. 

How about you? What will you do to make yourself a priority?

Until next time…

Be blessed

I’m Learning to be Content

I’m Learning to be Content

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Winter is definitely not giving up without a fight…

I have a new appreciation for those workers who have to work outside. But, even with all of the cold we are having, and as tired as I am feeling right now…I am still so grateful for every single day God allows me to be on the face of this earth.

This morning I woke up feeling God’s hand holding me. I just felt secure…safe. I know that He ministers to my spirit as I sleep (that’s probably the only time my mind is at rest). That’s one of the things I love about Him. He never stops coming after us. So, I have to believe that whatever was on my mind when I went to bed last night is being taken care of by the Master. I have been striving to be more like Paul when he says he has learned to be “content” in whatever situation he finds himself in (Philippians 4:11).

There is a beauty in being content. It says that I trust the providence of God.

When we believe that everything is in God’s hands it makes it easier to let go. I believe that as long as we hold on to people, and things, it blocks the flow of God’s plan in our lives. He wants to do big things through us. But, we often get in the way.

Our little finite minds still think we have control. I guess in some things we do. We have the power of choice, and we can choose to believe or not believe—to follow Him, or not follow Him. I want to follow Him. I want my life to reflect the love of Jesus Christ, but for some reason I keep going left when I should be going right. I sit down when I should be standing up, and I watch way too much television…especially when there are plenty of things I should be doing. 

In spite of all of that, I know that God loves me more than anything. He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to die for me. Just for me. And if there was no one else in the world, God still would have send Jesus for me. If I didn’t believe that, I don’t know what my life would be like. And to be honest…I don’t want to know. I love Him. He loves me. And that’s enough.

I pray that for each of us. I pray that we continue to walk in the newness that comes from a life that is sold out to God. I pray that His strength will help carry us through those times when we want to quit. 

And I pray that we all begin to appreciate the gift that is Jesus Christ just a little bit more.

Until next time…

Be blessed