trusting God

  • One Word Update: Common Phrases with the Word Rest

    ByLauren Christian, Grace & Truth Link Up, trusting God
    26 Comments

    one wordI have been working through Lisa Hite’s 40 Day One Word Lenten Challenge – although I’m behind.  I didn’t find it and start in time for Lent.  But my guess is God will honor it and teach me through it regardless of which 40 days I observe.  Anyway, I am learning so much.

     

    In case you aren’t familiar, my “one word” is the word I feel led by God to focus on for this year.  I chose “rest” which ties in to “trust” that was my first ever word focus last year.

     

    Day 4 of the challenge asked us to make a list common phrases that include our one word.

    1.  eternal rest
    2. rest in peace
    3. rest on your laurels
    4. the rest of the story
    5. rest assured
    6. at rest
    7. God rest his soul
    8. I rest my case
    9. God Rest Ye Merry Gentleman (more of a title than a phrase)
    10. lay to rest
    11. no rest for the weary
    12. the rest is history
    13. R&R (rest and relaxation)
    14. RICE (an acronym for treatment of an injury – rest, ice, compression, elevation)
    15. the rest of my life

     

    Some of these phrases don’t really apply since they mean “the remainder”.   A few relate to my focus for 2022 with the general idea of cessation of work, movement or striving; such as “R&R”, “RICE”, “rest assured” and even “I rest my case”.  But what stuck out to me like a neon sign?  A full 1/3 of the phrases I came up with refer to death!

     

    I think many people subscribe to the “you can rest when you die” mentality.  Go big, go hard, chase the dream/ money/ adventure, etc.  Nothing wrong with hard word or even hard play.  But without rest built into our schedule, we will eventually burn out or find eternal rest entirely too early.

     

    In the very first chapter of the Bible, God modeled a day of rest.

    Click To Tweet
    Not because the Almighty God couldn’t keep going, but because He knew we needed the example so we would rest.  Our bodies need rest, but our mind and emotions need it too.

     

    Why “Rest” Is My One Word

     

    I feel called to shoot straight here.  And I can without judgement because I’m talking to myself as well.  If there is an area of your life in which you feel you cannot rest, I guarantee that you lack trust in God over that same area.  God knew we needed rest for our own physical and emotional well being, but for our spiritual health as well.

     

    True rest means we are trusting God.  We don’t have to work (or worry, etc) 24/7 because God’s working on our behalf.  I realize it’s easier said than done.  Which is why I’m learning about and meditating on rest this year.  Believing I’m ultimately responsible for it all is exhausting.  Trusting that He holds it all in His control frees me to…rest.

     

    “Come to me, all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”  Matthew 11:28

     

    And now for this week’s featured post from the link up!

     

    Here I am again unable to pick just one feature!  Good problem to have.  I want to highlight Barbara Lee Harper’s book review because it’s a book I really need to read.  And I want to feature Grace and Truth’s own Lisa Burgess because she really made me think with Just One Roll of Toilet Paper, OK?  Happy reading!

     

    1. Share 1 or 2 of your most recent CHRISTIAN LIVING posts. (No DIY, crafts, recipes, or inappropriate articles.) All links are randomly sorted.

    2. Comment on 1 or 2 other links. Grace & Truth linkup encourages community.

    3. Every host features one entry from the previous week. To be featured, include this button or link back here on your post (mandatory to be featured, but not to participate).

    Grace and Truth_Meet Hosts

    We encourage you to follow our hosts on their blogs or social media.

    MAREE DEE – Embracing the Unexpected
    Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest

    LAUREN SPARKS
    Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest

    LISA BURGESS – Lisa notes
    Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest

    TAMMY KENNINGTON – Restoring hope. Pursuing peace.
    Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest

    Now Let’s Link Up!

     

    You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

    Click here to enter

    If you liked this post, do me the huge honor of using the buttons below to share it to your favorite social media accounts. And if you want to get these essays emailed to you once a week, subscribe!  Lastly, my posts may contain affiliate links and I earn from qualifying purchases. If you buy anything from one of these links, I receive a few pennies to help offset the cost of this website at no additional charge to you. Thank you in advance for your help.

     

    To find some great places where I might share this post, click here.

     

     

     

     

  • Because I Said So

    ByLauren Bible reading, Christian, Faith, Grace & Truth Link Up, obedience, trusting God
    26 Comments

    Because I said so“Therefore the law has become our tutor to lead us to Christ, so that we may be justified by faith.”  Galatians 3:24 NASB

     

    Even though it’s been over 20 years, I will never forget the first time “because I said so” tumbled out of my mouth.

    Click To Tweet
    My step-son wanted to know why he couldn’t turn the water hose on the trampoline and jump when it was 40 degrees outside.  Chandler was (and is) very bright and tended to think he was right much of the time.  He would argue his point until one of us was exhausted if I let him.  He did not consider “It’s cold outside,” to be a good enough reason and was not satisfied with “you could get sick” or “your clothes will be soaked”.  H continued to plead his case until all there was left for me to say was “because I said so”.

     

    I hoped I would never say it.  I swore I wouldn’t.  It frustrated me to hear it, but I think most parents have uttered those words at one time or another.

     

    God gets to that point with me sometimes.  I can be pretty head strong about what I want and what I think is best.  God has to not-so-gently remind me that His Word contains His knowledge and wisdom to direct my path.  And I have to admit that “because I said so,” can be really hard for me to take – even from the Creator of the Universe.  Just look at how counter-cultural His ways are!

     

    Why It Matters

     

    This world is trying it’s hardest to convince us all (and quite successfully in some circles) that God’s Word either doesn’t really say what it says, or that it doesn’t belong in our modern era.  And it some ways it would be easier to let ourselves believe that than to fight against the current.  Especially when we don’t understand why something is true.  But this thinking is leading us into darkness and destruction.

     

    That’s where faith comes in.  Isaiah 55:8 says, “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”  Just as we now understand that our parents knew better than we as little children, so we must trust that our Heavenly Father knows better than we ever will.  His laws and ethics have purpose.  They aren’t meant to be restrictive but to protect us  and bring us closer to Him.  Reminding myself of this helps when I don’t understand why He said so.  

     

    And now for this week’s featured post from the link up!

     

    It excites me to see more people enjoying the discipline of praying scripture.  Genna Stotts for Refining [Spiritual Growth] wrote about her journey in Scripture Praying – Could it Be the Secret to a Healthy Mind?

     

     

    1. Share 1 or 2 of your most recent CHRISTIAN LIVING posts. (No DIY, crafts, recipes, or inappropriate articles.) All links are randomly sorted.

    2. Comment on 1 or 2 other links. Grace & Truth linkup encourages community.

    3. Every host features one entry from the previous week. To be featured, include this button or link back here on your post (mandatory to be featured, but not to participate).

    Grace and Truth_Meet Hosts

    We encourage you to follow our hosts on their blogs or social media.

    MAREE DEE – Embracing the Unexpected
    Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest

    LAUREN SPARKS
    Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest

    LISA BURGESS – Lisa notes
    Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest

    TAMMY KENNINGTON – Restoring hope. Pursuing peace.
    Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest

    Now Let’s Link Up!

    You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

    Click here to enter

     

    Sharing is caring! If you liked this post, do me the huge honor of using the buttons below to share it to your favorite social media accounts. And if you want to get these essays emailed to you once a week, subscribe!  Lastly, my posts may contain affiliate links and I earn from qualifying purchases. If you buy anything from one of these links, I will receive a few pennies to help offset the cost of this website at no additional charge to you. Thank you in advance for your help.

     

    To find some great places where I might be sharing this post, click here.