Verse of the Day - Isaiah 40:31

But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint. ~ Isaiah 40:31 (KJV)

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This afternoon, I am heading to Lake Tahoe for four days, and I am soaring! I've been getting excited about this trip since I planned it a few weeks ago! (BTW, this means I won't be doing VOTD again until I get back on Monday). The idea of rest and relaxation, without the responsibility of my normal, day-to-day commitments is exhilarating! (can you tell it's been a while since my last vacation? :-)

Rest is a good thing. But often we don't want to rest. We don't want to wait. We want to move, move, move! I wanted to throw my computer mouse across the room yesterday at work because my computer was being so slow -- or, at least, it wasn't going fast enough for me. I want things to happen, and I want them NOW! Wait...? Are you kidding? I have things to do, people to see, places to go! Can you relate to any of this?

Yet in our humanity, we can get burned out...from sheer exhaustion, fear, rejection, failure, illness, depression, worry. We can get stuck in a rut and unable to fly even with a free airline ticket! We think back to a time when we were soaring, and it can seem so very far away, so unreachable, so long ago. We long to be in that place again where our hearts and minds are light as a feather, where light shines on opportunities and dreams, where God's vision for us seems clear and reachable!

wait... rest... that's what God says. Let the Lord minister to you -- your mind and your body. Take some time to back off --reflect, ponder, meditate. Don't kill yourself trying to be on the top of the jet stream all the time. We need to glide at lower altitudes, too...perhaps, then, even being able to focus better on where we're at, where we've been, and where we're heading.

And maybe if you're at a stopping point in your life, it's because God had to put the brakes on you. Maybe you were going full steam ahead, flaps down, pedal to the metal, max RPMs. Maybe you were gonna burn out if He didn't help you see you needed rest. Maybe you were losing sight of God's map for your life. I don't know. He knows us better than we know ourselves and He is God, so when He makes decisions, we know they are wise and right and good.

I pray that you can allow the downtimes in your life without fighting against them, and seek God and His purpose in the midst of them. If you're not flying at break-neck speed in life at the moment, thank God for the rest. And if your life is flying at 1,000 MPH, seek the Lord for daily rest periods and be sensitive to His leading. He may be telling you in more ways than one that burnout is approaching.

Listen to Him and seek your rest and refreshment from Him. It's amazing how far you can go with a good tune-up and a full tank of gas!

Love,
Joelene