What I’m about to tell you next could shock you. Good, now
that you’ve been warned I’ll continue. You know what I’m about here. Growth,
improving, movement of all kinds.
I was watching a Lowe’s commercial the other day (one of my
daughter’s favorites) and I got to thinking (yikes, there I go again) what if
there are times in life when we are to still, to allow work to be done quietly
inside us rather than rush around accomplishing, improving, bettering?
Don’t get me wrong. I’m a huge advocate of growth. I love
how the Lowe’s commercial shows neighbors inspired by one another. Love that.
But here’s something I’m also gleaning lately.
We can only control so much. We can work until the cows come
home, pigs fly, and Chicken Little hollers the sky is falling but at some point
we’re wise to lean in to the art of contentment.
Not a give up, sit here and do nothing idea of contentment.
But a state of being where we find peace in the now. In the messy. In the not
there yet. Peace amidst the chaos.
Three of the best methods I’ve found to help get me to this
place of peace…
Rest
When I’m running on all cylinders it communicates more to me
about my state of mind than my state of being. It’s as though my actions are
screaming at me I’m overdue for a long sit down.
Sometimes I don’t even recognize myself when I’m not
working—when I’m not in constant motion. And that kind of freaks me out.
When we rest we grant ourselves valuable time to let our
bodies replenish and our minds to refresh. My perspective has a tendency to get
all out of whack when I rob myself of rest time.
Reflect
I’m not referring to long looks back, the stuff that zapped
Lot’s wife into salt here folks. Instead, I’m referring to a good hike. Moments
spent in nature or near a graveyard where we’re able to get a solid refresher
of just how fragile this life is—how temporal. Time to remember what’s
important to us. When we carve out time for reflection we honor life.
Realign
This is the most influential R for me. Our natural tendency is
to steer off course. You know this. I’m not telling you anything new. No matter
how long we’ve poured into faith we’re still bound to gravitate toward our own
will. Our way. When I’m flooded with projects, insistent on completing one more
thing, and crowding my calendar so it’s difficult to find time to breathe, I’m
missing opportunities to realign. To remember why I’m here and that I can write
another novel, plant another flower bed, or spring clean my heart out and I’ll
still be loved the same as when I didn’t carve out time to write novels, had a
black Grim Reaper thumb, and my house was in shambles.
I can’t earn more love by speeding up. I can’t make it so
I’m loved more.
I’m enough.
For my God I’m enough.
Want to know the crazy part as I deconstruct this thought?
As soon as I’m able to rest in the realignment of where I
stand with God, I find myself craving to work hard for him. To become more
forgiving, less bitter, more patient…
And so inject myself in the cycle of Rs again so I’m not fooled
into thinking I’m earning his love, his acceptance, or his approval by my
actions.
Rest.
Reflect.
Realign.
I never want to stop improving. But I always don’t ever want
to forget that I’m not loved for what I do but for who I am.
His.
Do you ever have to discipline
yourself to slow down? Are there times you fight your restless nature (like I
do) and buy into the thinking that if you do more, accomplish more you are
becoming…more? What helps remind you that
you are enough?
"We live under the
illusion that if we can acquire complete control, we can understand God. Or we
can write the great American novel. But the only way we can brush against the
hem of the Lord, or hope to be part of the creative process, is to have the
courage, the faith, to abandon control." Madeleine
L’Engle
*I’ve loved celebrating recently released books written by
my rockin’ friends. This week I urge you to check out sweet supporter and
friend, Susan J. Reinhardt’s, The Moses Conspiracy!
Wendy, my friend, if you wrote this post for no one else, you wrote it for me.
ReplyDeleteThank you.
Thanks for the encouragement, Beth. You are always so good at fueling me with that!
DeleteOh, Wendy, this post is perfect. I so often have to remind myself to slow down, even recently had to make myself stop almost completely. And it was one of the most rewarding times of my life. Thank you for this post, friend!
ReplyDeleteSo cool to learn about the true rewards you've experienced recently. I'm teaching myself to slow down but it's definitely a work in process.
DeleteWhat a great reminder. I was forced to slow down this past week while our college daughter was home for a visit, and it did me a world of good. I'm not saying it was easy, but it was worthwhile.
ReplyDeleteNothing like family to get us to slow down and really delight in QT. Hope you had a great time together, Keli.
DeleteOh I love this! Especially the part on realignment...I actually feel like I've had some realigning time in the past couple weeks, particularly in the week before Easter. And you're so right...often it's once I get realigned that I then get excited about working hard again. And there's an upside and a downside to that. The excitement and the energy, those are awesome. But not if, like you said, I dip into thinking I need to earn God's love or approval...really, REALLY appreciated this post, Wendy!
ReplyDeleteCool to hear you were able to realign recently! Thanks for continued encouragement, Melissa. Loved your guest post recently.
DeleteHi Wendy -
ReplyDeleteI tend to work until I drop. Those times of refreshing are so necessary, but too often I neglect them. Thank you for the reminder to rest, reflect, and realign.
Thanks also for the shout-out about The Moses Conspiracy. I'm awestruck at the miracle God did for me. What I couldn't accomplish in my own strength, He did in a moment.
Blessings,
Susan :)
Exciting times for you, Susan! I work until I drop too. Must be why I sleep so well (most of the time).
DeleteWe must be in the same mood, Wendy, because I've been slowing down (just a smidge) all week. I love that we are enough for God. That sustains me. :)
ReplyDeleteI don't think I could handle it if that weren't true. I'd turn everything into a rat race.
DeleteThankful living helps me to stay content. All I have to do is look in the faces of all my blessings and the stuff I don't have yet dims in comparison. Great post, Wendy!
ReplyDeleteAmy,
DeleteThat's a huge part of my post this week. Shaking up our perspective can do wonders.