"Then Jesus said, 'Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens,
and I will give you rest.'"
Matthew 11:28
In the midst of the crazy sting of life, this is where I come to Him...
START:
I would LOVE to rest on a warm beach right now. To hear the water lapping against the shore, to see that Atlantic Ocean meet the skyline, stretching out endlessly in front of me. To close my eyes and push my toes deeper into the heat of the Florida sand, to breathe in that salty sea air, feeling that mixture of hot sun and cool breeze spread across me....radiating from the inside out. I grew up there. For 18 years of my life. The ebb and flow of time and reality weighs heavy on my heart and soul, but when I close my eyes, I seek rest by the tropical sea. That place is as much a part of me as where I now live.
In contrast, I can also close my eyes and picture myself at the base of Mount Rainier, sky filled with the vast beauty of that majestic mountain. I am there with my journal, in the middle of a field of flowers, writing poems and prayers, and I am captivated by the beauty and stillness. I can almost hear the faint sound of a waterfall in the distance. Please don't interrupt me when I go to that place.
I go there to seek God. I cannot physically go to either of those places as often as I would like. The clatter of dishes or the banging of little feet, the honking of a car horn or the stinging words spoken out of anger in this world around me interrupt the rest...life is spinning and swirling so fast that at times I can hardly catch my breath....yet when I close my eyes, my friends, I can GO there. I can choose to close my eyes and create a mental image of the rest I so desperately seek, to breathe in the presence of God like the oxygen my body so desperately needs for life.
I need You, God. You are my everything. When the pressures of life come raging against me, when that water seems stormy or the mountains threaten to fall, You are there. I lift my hands, I close my eyes, and I SEEK You. I fall hard into Your arms. As I open my eyes, the needs remain. They press in, almost mocking, taunting me to crumble, yet my eyes are on You. Help me, God! THANK You for the rest You bring!
STOP
Do you want to link up and try this Five Minute Friday thing with me? Here's where you can get started:
You my friend are crazy talented. I love the beauty in your writing!
ReplyDeleteThanks, D! As wild as this sounds, It's God...He writes these thoughts on my heart and they come spilling out of my fingertips onto the keyboard....like He has this message He wants to whisper (especially to His daughters), that He wants me to share...wants us all to share in some way, shape or form with the gifts we have. I LOVE to write. I have missed it! It's been an insane week and I loved this topic!
DeleteThis is my first visit to your blog. I just jumped on the Five Minute Friday writing train.
ReplyDeleteLoved your post. Your descriptions of the places you go to rest made it feel like I was there. Beautiful writing.
Thanks for reading my post and commenting, Tamara! I'm pretty new to FMF, too! I love to close my eyes and "rest" there. It's often the only place I can find sanity and peace with my Father! <3 "My soul finds rest in God alone." Psalm 62:1
DeleteCame to you from FMF as well. I saw that mountain picture and thought, that looks like Mt. Rainier. =) I love Washington.
ReplyDelete"I need You, God. You are my everything. When the pressures of life come raging against me, when that water seems stormy or the mountains threaten to fall, You are there. I lift my hands, I close my eyes, and I SEEK You. I fall hard into Your arms. As I open my eyes, the needs remain. They press in, almost mocking, taunting me to crumble, yet my eyes are on You. Help me, God! THANK You for the rest You bring!"
I am learning through trial to come to this kind of a rest. Physical rest means nothing if you don't have a spiritual rest to lay your head down on. Thank you for sharing.
That's awesome! Have you been to WA? I have lived here for 8 years now. We are about an hour or so from Mt. Rainier. We can see it when the mountain is "out". I call it "my mountain"! :) Thanks for reading and commenting on my writing! I am learning that too. I keep praying for God to make my heart willing to seek Him and to find the rest He wants to bring. <3
DeleteDear Rebecca Joy
ReplyDeleteI am so privileged to live in a house, 200 meters from the sea shore; Gonubie, South Africa. In the evenings I love to open all the sliding doors of the house to let the sea mist fill the house. But to truly rest, I need to open all the doors and windows of my heart to let my heart be filled with the Life of our Lord.
Visiting via FMF. Have a blessed weekend.
Mia
Oh wow, Mia! I am so blessed that you stopped by from FMF! My favorite part of your comment was, "I need to open all the doors and windows of my heart to let my heart be filled with the Life of our Lord." Incredible! I want to type that out and quote you! I bet your view is amazing! Thank you for painting such a vivid word picture of your surroundings! God is so good! I wish I could visit that area! One day! <3
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