Sometimes in life, you can look at where you are and think, I never thought we’d be here. I remember early last spring feeling as though we were in a reprieve, a rest spot. I remember having this anxious thought during that time, “uh oh, what’s coming, Lord?” He told me to prepare for the ride ahead and to rest in the moment. Much easier said than done.
Then the rains started to fall and the flood waters rose. But somehow, I knew that was only part of the ride. My spirit told me something more was coming and it was going to be later in the year.
Now, here we are, more than four months into unemployment, thinking, I never thought we’d be here. This last week Andrew made it to the third round of interviews for a job we thought he’d get and then he was turned down. The disappointment and feelings of rejection are real. Even when you know whose you are and what God says about you.
I have friends right now facing cancer, chronic illnesses, losing a child, and more. Our situation pales in comparison. Yet, whether it seems big or small to you or to the world, I want you to hear this…
God cares.
He cares so deeply. He cares on an intimate level that only a soulmate can care on. He cares so much that He sends personal reminders at the most perfect moments just so you know He’s thinking about you.
A friend of mine will sometimes post that she was having a really really bad day and feeling miserable and sorry for herself, when along comes a note or sweet gift from a friend, right at the very moment when she needed it most. That’s God! He does those things for us because he cares so deeply for our every hurt, concern, hardship, and situation.
This morning a friend texted and said, “read Psalm 120”. So I did. It was in reference to a completely different situation in my life aside from Andrew not having a job. But then I kept reading and read Psalm 121.
I wrote it out so I could really let it sink in!
And wouldn’t you know it? There was EXACTLY what I needed to hear today. God prompted my friend to text that and get me right on the exact page where He wanted to speak to my hurting heart. And to Andrew’s.
He’s like that. All the time. Start looking for it and you’ll see it. Everywhere.
Another good friend of mine always says, “God is good all the time, and all the time God is good.” I’m telling you, it’s so true!
“Oh good, we’re just so busy.” “We’re in a busy season.” “Life just keeps rolling along all too quickly.”
Familiar conversation? It seems no matter who you ask, you get a response about how busy someone is. It may sound a little different but it seems there’s a common theme.
Why are we all so busy? What are we filling our time with? And is it worthwhile?
I think all too often we fill our time with work, activities, errands, and entertainment because it’s what everyone else is doing. Keep up with the Jones’, right? Our kid’s friends are doing gymnastics, we better put our kids in. The neighbor just got a new car, we’d better put in more hours and get one too. Our friends just moved to the country, we’d better start looking for property too.
We may not put it into words, or even conscious thought, but we’re comparing all too often. Comparison steals our contentment and joy every time and yet we do it. And it’s frequently a bad habit we don’t even realize.
Also, we make ourselves busy because it makes us feel important. We believe we have to be doing something in order to be worth something. If I fill my schedule and try to keep all the plates spinning and show success in all these areas, then I’m worthy. Then when someone asks “What’s new?” I have a list to share.
At the end of the day, at the end of the week, at the end of a year, do we really feel successful, fulfilled, satisfied with all our busyness, running, and frantic pacing? Or is it more likely that we feel defeated because we didn’t quite achieve enough, discouraged because someone else did it better, and exhausted because we aren’t actually supposed to do, but be?
Did you just take a deep inhale right there? Can you relate?
I know I can.
I’ve been convicted about Sabbath for a long time now. Like, a really long time. We’ve clumsily attempted taking a Sabbath here and there only to have it overshadowed by the to-do list.
Recently I’ve been reading Holy Hygge by Jamie Erickson. If you haven’t, I highly recommend you get yourself a copy of this book and take your time with each chapter. In her chapter Rest, she says, “Sabbath rest is a tithe of time…” and “…rest is not a suggestion. It is a command.”
Those hit me hard. I have seen God multiply our finances innumerable times over the years, so much so that I couldn’t even begin to add up the amount He’s blessed us with, simply because we’ve been obedient. We’ve learned to tithe our finances no matter how tight the month appears because God always, and I mean Always, multiplies it and covers our needs and, often, covers our desires as well.
If I know that truth in my very depths, why would I assume He would do any differently when I tithe my time? I’ve learned there are amazing blessings in obedience so why should it be difficult to be obedient with giving my time to Him?
Maybe because I’m a slow learner, just like the Israelites as they wandered the desert. How many times did they have to relearn the lesson that God can be trusted? How many times must I learn that lesson?
I got to this point and thought, okay God, I’ll try to trust you with my time. But how do I actually make this work? How do I actually set aside time that looks different? It’s supposed to be holy, set apart. What does that look like?
It’s obviously going to look different in every family, but for me a few things really helped me bring this down to the practical.
First, get everyone on board. The whole family has to understand the Sabbath and be willing to rest and make it look different. In our home, we sat down and actually created a Sabbath list. I asked the kids, “if you could do anything you wanted on a family day, what would it be?”
The list is great! There are fun farm projects, hiking and day trips, playing board games, going out for ice cream. My kids were so astute to even add worship God with music, read His Word, and pray. I’m sure it will change and be added to as we go, but I’m excited we can actually start to do those family things we always talk about doing.
Second, prepare for the Sabbath during the week. A couple close friends and I were talking about how to do this and we came up with a few things. Get the house chores, errands, grocery shopping, and other projects done on other days during the week. This might sound obvious, but it really requires a mind shift. If I need to get the laundry and other house chores done on other days, then those days need to be open enough to allow for that. Which means I need to say no to extras so I’m actually home to do those things. Which means I need to look at my calendar and see the open spaces as opportunities to prepare for the Sabbath, not as spots to be filled.
We also have to trust. We can’t take one the mindset that I just have to work harder and faster and get more done on those other days so I can rest. I need to trust that God will multiply my time just as He multiplies my finances. I can’t look at my to-do list and think, well great, now I’ll really never get this all done. I need to look at that list and say, God, I trust you to get done what needs to get done, and to remove from the list what isn’t important right now.
Third, I believe we need to go into Sabbath willingly and cheerfully. “Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” 2 Corinthians 9:7.
God wants us to want to give, so that He in turn can show us how much He can give. He loves and desires to bless us, I’ve seen this from experience. We can actually trust Him.
“Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.”
2 Corinthians 9:7
We aren’t perfect at this, in fact, I’d say we’re newbies, just trying to figure it out. We’ll probably stumble and be clumsy along the way. But, prayerfully and hopefully, with God’s help, we’ll start to honor Him with our time.
Sometimes the best revelations come when you’re talking with a good friend. Yesterday I was having a great conversation, just catching up with someone. Someone who has been on a giant life journey the last two years of rediscovering herself and who she is in Christ.
It’s been a beautiful journey to watch and be a part of. Sometimes she allows me to be her sounding board and I feel privileged that I’ve gotten to be a part of it. It’s been painful, joy-filled, encouraging, and sometimes scary to watch as God rips open seams she’s sewn across her heart and fills those hurt places with His love, mercy, and grace.
I’ve watched her faith grow and mine has grown in the midst of it too. It’s always awe-inspiring to see God work. I often just stand shocked and then think, I shouldn’t be so shocked. My God is a big big God and nothing is impossible with Him. But, every time I’m shocked. I guess that’s part of what stirs and grows our faith in these things.
In the midst of a conversation about projects (which are never-ending around here), we started talking about being busy. It’s morphed in her life, and to be honest in mine as well. Being busy used to be a status symbol for her, it was what defined her. And I think most of us can relate to that. Our culture applauds busyness, rushing, hustle, adding another thing to our to-do list. Even our kids are many times defined by what they do. I still distinctly remember overhearing a woman talking on the phone and the person on the other line must have asked about her kids. Her response struck me as so typical and yet a little sad.
“Oh, we have a track runner, an artist, and a dancer.”
Her children were defined by their activities. I think many of us define ourselves with what we do. It’s hard to tell others about ourselves without sharing the busyness.
But what happens when we are only defined by our work, our activities, our progress in something?
One thing I’ve heard from my friend throughout her journey is that her work and how good she was at it was what defined her. So, if something didn’t go well at work, even if it wasn’t directly her fault, she took it as a personal hit. It became so important to do it all right that she became completely burned out and despondent.
Enter Jesus.
I won’t share her whole journey, that’s for her to share. But I will share what she’s learning, and what I’m learning as well. As she’s been on this journey I’ve been frequently convicted by her steps. In a good way. I’m seeing where I’ve been defined by the wrong things too.
We’re both learning that Jesus defines us. We are children of the One True God. We belong to His kingdom as princesses of the King. We are accepted by Jesus and not just accepted but adopted into His family as sisters. We have full access to an all powerful God. We are loved, no matter our pasts, no matter how many times we mess up, and no matter what others think of us.
I might have to digest these longer and break them down. What does each one mean for our lives? How does it make what we do different? How does it change us?
Often I see others praise and call out children around them for what they do, especially in Christian circles. They loudly praise and honor the sports kids are involved in. They want to know all about their practices and games.
What about the kids who don’t do sports? Are they less than? What if they are artists, comedians, Bible enthusiasts, book lovers, or animal whisperers? Do those activities matter less?
They do to that specific person because he or she is “into sports”. But those children certainly are less than. I think that as adults we need to be willing to see kids for their wonder of the world around them, their love for the Lord, their trusting faith, and their care and compassion of others, not what they do.
We need to be careful we aren’t putting certain people on pedestals because of a certain activity. Especially as adults. It’s our job to teach kids how they are defined and if we’re only praising those who do sports, we’re missing the mark by a long shot.
Let’s all practice defining ourselves and others by Jesus, not by the world’s standards!
My daughter and I were commenting this morning that it doesn’t really feel like we are already past Christmas and it’s New Year’s Day. I think the strange Minnesota weather is partly to blame. It’s been so warm and muddy out, it hardly felt like December! Yet, here we are!
We went to church yesterday to see our sweet grandson be dedicated. As I watched my son and daughter-in-law stand on stage with the sweetest baby and an amazing pastor, I thought, what a great way to ring in the New Year! You can say there are better ways – parties, Times Square, lots of noise and craziness. But I won’t agree.
Ringing in the New Year dedicating our hearts and children to the Lord is the absolute best way to celebrate in my opinion! After the dedication, the pastor talked about resolutions and all the different kinds people make this time of year.
Our sweet family branch!
I’m going to get in shape.
I’m going to save more money.
I’m going to get a better job.
I’m going back to school.
I’m going to buy that new car.
The list goes on. What’s the common piece in all those resolutions?
Me.
So often, we focus all on ourselves in our resolutions. I am going to… I will do… I want…
And how often do those resolutions last? A week, a month? Usually not much longer than that. Pretty soon, we’re back to our old habits and nothing in our lives has truly changed. Self focus rarely brings about heart change.
Self focus rarely brings about heart change.
The pastor instead shared about a different kind of resolution. A resolution that no matter what comes, no matter the trials, circumstances, ordeals, joys that 2024 can bring, we resolve to focus on the Lord.
We resolve to remember that no matter what the Lord is on the throne and can’t be moved. We resolve to put the Lord first in all things. We resolve to honor the Lord with every task, chore, dollar, event in 2024. We resolve not to worship the idols of this world, but worship the one true God.
It’s not an easy path. Rarely is the right path the easy path. In fact, I’d say the right path is always the harder path.
Think of Daniel in the Bible. He resolved not to eat the king’s food. Why? Not because it was the wrong foods, but because it had most assuredly been sacrificed and offered up to false gods. He wasn’t willing to even partake in the foods offered to the king’s false gods. He resolved to put the Lord first. It wasn’t the easy path. He was thrown in the lion’s den and his friends who resolved with him were thrown in the fiery furnace.
But God.
God saved Daniel and his friends. He rewarded them for remaining faithful and steadfast. He walked with them in the lion’s den and the fiery furnace. They chose the hard path and were willing to walk it because of who their God was and is.
We can make the same choice.
Whatever your New Year’s Resolution may be, put the Lord first. A resolution to get in shape or save money isn’t inherently wrong. But when our trust and our fulfilment lie in that thing, it’s going to fail. We won’t maintain it. We won’t be satisfied with it. We won’t find happiness or contentment there.
Only when we RESOLVE to put the Lord first, will our year be everything we hope and dream it will be. And I can’t think of a better way to do that than to resolve to dedicate our hearts and our children’s hearts to the Lord this very day.
These are the amazing children I dedicate to the Lord!
I’ll share more about how we can achieve this in the next post.
For now, Happy New Year! And may the good, good Lord be first in your year!
Desired Haven Farm 