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May 4, 2022 - January 19, 2023
A well-rested life requires a delicate balance between pruning and growth. Some things must be cut away to make room for what’s to come. Rest is not always pleasant, but it ensures that the activities, the relationships, and the situations that deplete you will not continue to be depleting.
When you’re faced with the option to envy or encounter, always encounter.
The purpose of rest is to give you opportunities to taste the life you’ve created.
Rest invites every burned-out, worn-out, tired individual to discover their life’s splendor.
Rest is not a luxury; it’s a necessity.
What steals your rest? Answering this question helps reveal the benefits of having boundaries and the gift we have in setting boundaries within our lives.
But what is more damaging: a resentful yes or a heartfelt no?
Learn to say no with grace.
there is something wrong with saying yes for reasons that have nothing to do with your heart’s desires and everything to do with the fear of letting someone else down.
A life secured by personal boundaries is confident and resonates with your values. It is energized by your choices and aligns with your priorities.
Any yes given out of fear, shame, guilt, or insecurity should be a no.
Amen! Say it louder for the people in the back.
Don’t expect others to give you permission to take care of yourself. Know what is required for you to put your best self out there to do the things you were meant to do, and be bold in guarding your life against invasion.
Your life was never designed to be lived in constant depletion. You are not designed to withstand continuous pouring out with no plan for regular replenishment.
It often feels as if there’s way too much to do, but some of the things occupying our to-do list are not part of God’s will for our lives.
Just as the surface of the pond displays the beauty of the sky when it is undisturbed, so the soul reflects the image of God when it enters into sacred rest.
God sees you from the perspective of all He made you to be. His view of you encompasses all the potential within you.
In his research, John Dewey concluded, “We do not learn from experience… We learn from reflecting on experience.”
Learning from our experiences is not found in the activity or in the action; it is found in meditating on the experience.
We can never reflect the glory of God unless we are gazing in His direction.
We require time to redirect our focus off the darkness and back toward God.
It’s hard to rest in the arms of someone you’re fighting back against.
Every good gift in your life is not a final resting place. There are times when we have to let go of what we think is good because God has something better for us.
You don’t find purpose. You live and let purpose reveal itself to you.
Contentment can be found in every season, whether in obscurity or on a platform. Neither is greater than the other.
Empty can be a good place to start. When we come to the end of our abilities, we find God patiently waiting. We empty out our fatigue, frustrations, disappointments, unanswered prayers, heartaches, hurts, and grief. He removes the weight of these burdens, and He pours in healing peace and strength.
The soul is insatiable till it finds rest.
He offers rest, not cessation from work. In His rest there is peace, fulfillment, and a sense of fitting properly.
Memorize encouraging Scriptures. Replace negative thoughts with positive affirmations.
Also allow room in your day for therapeutic silence.
God did not make rest a mere suggestion, He commanded it.
Our twenty-first-century lives reek of exhaustion. We now live longer than our ancestors, but we spend less time living life and more time fighting death. They died quickly from wearing out their bodies; we die slowly from wearing out our minds.
We are busy doing, being, and becoming with little regard for the people we ignore and the moments we miss.
Rest is not laziness. Rest is the grace we extend to ourselves.
Rest testifies to our humanity and our need for daily replenishing—our need for daily bread.
When you receive the gift of cessation, you’ve decided you don’t need to justify your existence through pointless activities and can delight in rest.
Rest should change you for the better. You can identify rest by the fruit it produces.
Learning how to do nothing is necessary for thriving in an overwhelming life.
Intentional rest should make you a better person to be around.
Much of our doing is future-focused. We do to advance our careers. We do to have better bank accounts. We do so we can accomplish our goals and plans.
When we are living for the future instead of enjoying the present moment, it makes savoring life challenging. The gift of cessation awakens you to the present.
Maybe it’s time you cease pushing against a closed door, take a moment to step away, and do nothing. Let that problem, difficulty, or concern sit untouched while you regroup, so that the next time you approach it you will have a fresh perspective.
Do nothing when you’re upset.
Be willing to cease until your anger abates, then when you do reply, your words will have the power to mend and repair.
Fear can cause you to accept a truth that does not exist. It can lead you down a false path and result in poor choices. When you are afraid, step away for a time. Focus on what you know to be true rather than what you think or imagine.
“For I am the LORD your God who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you” (Isa. 41:13 NIV).
The danger causing most of our anxieties is from the debris of our hurry-up lives.
How well we listen has a major impact on the quality of our relationships, our job effectiveness, and our level of personal contentment.
Rest will remind you to be gentle with your words, quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry (see James 1:19).
I was convinced every woman knew the secret to holding it all together but no one was willing to share it with me.
Productivity is not simply getting things done. Productivity is getting things done that matter and seeing good fruits growing in your life.
