Slowing Down

I've been enjoying the last week or so of nothing in particular to do. The house is clean, we're managing to maintain that since our major purge earlier this month, the laundry is caught up, it's hot outside, we've been to Peru, the kids have been to GA, we've had VBS and various other activities. So now, it's been a couple of weeks with nothing much planned. It's been nice to slow down.

I've had a little more than usual time to think, pray, read and clear my head over the last few days. That's what happens when you slow down. The Lord speaks louder or I listen better when I slow down. Usually when my mind and schedule are racing with the next thing I have to do, there is little or no time to really stop and think and pray and ponder and listen. HE has showed me so many wonderful things over the last few days that I am more convinced than ever to make stillness a part of each day.

Stillness isn't laziness. It's not selfishness. Those thoughts ran through my head when I first realized I had these hours of unplanned activity to fill with...nothing. I thought if I sat down for more than a few minutes with nothing to do that I would be setting a bad example for my kids. But what God showed me was the exact opposite. I actually found that the stillness brought a sense of purpose. He showed me a few things that He has purposed for our Women's ministry for this fall at church, He pricked my heart to spend some time in prayer for my enemies (yes, I know, not a popular thing to do....or even admit that you have), gave me peace about Savannah's schooling for next year, found a few new songs I love, gave me fresh ideas for my own classroom, healed a few wounds that in my busyness I didn't even realize were there, gave me a boost of energy, helped me stop running from some grief that I was backpacking and allowed me to spend some down time showing my kids that there is a time for everything....running and resting. 

So many times I struggle with scheduling too much or enough....and yet I've never thought much about the spiritual application of that. I want my kids to be OK with being busy, but after this time with the Lord over the last few days I think I want them to be more OK with being still and listening to what God's plans are for their time. He's ordered their days too...ya know?

So this still time has been anything but lazy time. Over and over I wonder why I struggle with this...and every time I slow down I am reminded that God wants to speak to me in ways I cannot even imagine. He's ready to heal, renew, bring peace and restore. All I have to do is commune with Him in the stillness.

Do you struggle with getting still? What hinders you? Maybe you've got this mastered or you have a tip for getting still....I'd love to hear about it!

Sustaining Peace

I don't know about you but when I am struggling with something...whether it's a decision or a circumstance or my schedule or finances or ____________, I usually can muster up enough sense to know that I need to stop, pray, focus on the Lord and get some peace. And for the next 5 minutes, I'm able to get quiet, refreshing, calming peace....and I LOVE that feeling. But.....at 6 minutes that peace that felt so good seems to sort of fade away and leaves me feeling a little anxious, doubting, worried...and at 7minutes, I'm having to start over again at step one...stop, pray, focus.

The thing is...the peace doesn't go anywhere. It doesn't run off or get scared when we start doubting. Why? Because the Prince of Peace is Jesus. He's not afraid of our troubles, He's experienced it. He's not overcome with difficulties.....He is the Overcomer. He doesn't get going when the going gets tough. He's stronger, more stable, higher, mightier and He is the peace giver.

When I don't feel peace the problem is me. What causes that feeling of fleeting peace could be a long list of things, but I will list a few of my top peace quenchers:

1. Eyes focused on my circumstances rather than His plan
2. Trying to figure out things according to my agenda
3. Guilt over sin in my life
4. Unconfessed sin
5. A lack of fellowship with Him or other Christians
6. Listening to what others say about things rather than what God says
7. Worry over things I cannot control
8. Focus on past failures
9. Consumed with things I can't change
10. And the one that sums them all up....focusing on anything but the Lord.

I wasn't made to handle this life without the Lord. In fact apart from Him I can't do anything worth anything. We get sustaining...steady....life-giving peace when we learn that every moment in a walk with the Peace Giver....every second of each day is in total dependence of what He is doing in our lives. Whether a difficult situation, an illness, a family issue or tricky finances, He's the only constant. He wants to be in the middle of it all...working out His Will....giving us sustaining peace to get through all the ups and downs that inevitably will come.

Today's goal....embrace the peace giver. The never changing, always constant Prince of Peace.

Peace Retreat

Recently I heard about a place in someone's home called a Peace Retreat... a place of filling up and letting go and recharging all in one.  I thought I might try this idea of a Peace Retreat in our home. So today....after probably the worst week I've had in ages, I decided it was time to make the time to make the Peace Retreat...if for no one else...for myself!

Here's how it turned out:

A candle lit to help calm down... whether a bad day, a bad attitude or a bad choice.

A comfy chair and pillow to rest your weary body or soul or both

A basket full of Bibles, and children's books that talk to those big and small and remind us in these times when we need this peace retreat that God is near....and oh how He loves us.

A journal and pen to jot down our feelings, prayers, fears or blessings. To draw when we can't write or feel overwhelmed with our feelings.

Something for everyone

Even the littlest....

Because sometimes we all have days where we need a peace retreat....a "time out" of sorts from our world...a place where our joys and sorrows can be heard and our fear and worries can be felt and let go.

After I readied this place in our home, I took my children through each piece of the Peace Retreat. I told them sometimes when they were having a bad day or having trouble being good, they might want to spend some time in the peace retreat. If they get in trouble, I may send them to the Peace Retreat to collect their feelings, their emotions and their actions. I want them to find this a place where they can think about God and understand that He longs to meet them right where they are at that moment....and that they can experience His Peace right there.

Where's your place to retreat for peace? My challenge....make it more than a time out chair or a 5 minute break in the bathroom with the door locked. Focus for a few minutes...be intentional....make a place where your family can go to intentionally meditate, study, pray, journal and read God's Word. You'll be glad you did!