Worship is Me, Resting in Him.

Sunday night I attended Kari Jobe's Majestic Tour, which should really just be called a night of worship because that's exactly what is was. It wasn't a concert, she wasn't performing for us. She was using her talent and the gift God's given her to usher us all into His presence so we could rest in Him.

I've have always heard God's voice speaking to me most through worship, song and the written word. His most clear direction and speaking has always come in this form and that might be why I love worship and words so much. I hear God's voice in them. 

I had a moment Sunday night just standing there listening to hundreds of voices that were not my own, but they were praising God. But God knew! He knew every last one of those voices, he could call them by name if he wanted to. Worship reminds me of what the body of Christ looks like and what it looks like to rest in Him. 

Worship is not just words to music. It's our daily act of putting our own stuff aside and praising God. Rejoicing for the good he has done in me, and for what he's going to do in me. Praising Him in difficult times and in good times. 

Resting on how gracious he is to us and being forever changed by that. 

Transformed by His love and mercy. 

It's a beautiful picture. It's a beautiful thing to rest in the Lord. I am reminded that I get to do it where ever I am, and whatever season I find myself in. 

This post is apart of a series #31daysofRestinginHim . Visit this link for more posts on this topic and follow along in this journey. Use the hashtag #31daysofRestinginHim on social media to follow along.

When Your Child is the Voice of the Holy Spirit.

A typical Tuesday for us includes getting up early to take my husband to work, we're a one car family and have been our entire marriage (7 years) which has worked well for the most part except for now. Now Ava goes to school two days a week starting on Tuesdays. This little factor requires all four of us to get up and be out the door by 6:15 am. 

Some days this proves to be easy and other days it's wrangling a cranky pre-schooler and toddler together and just getting them in the car in hopes they will calm down by the time we leave the driveway. 

These schools days are always a little nerve wracking for me. It takes about 45 minutes to get back home from dropping my husband off at work because of the traffic. Then it's all a blur from there just to get to school on time. There's breakfast to be made, getting dressed because let's face it ain't nobody fully dressed when we leave at 6:15 am because we just got up at 6 am! Mmm..kay.

A couple weeks ago it was one of these crazy mornings again. We got home with enough time to spare, in reality I should have been calm. But, there's something about Tuesdays that honestly just puts me on edge. My kids were going crazy because there's wasn't any more yogurt left after they had their fifth helping at breakfast. 

I snapped and I yelled at them to be quiet and just eat. 

What came after was both heart wrenching but also a reality check for myself. 

Ava told me she was scared of me, that I was being mean cause I was yelling. Ouch. You know what?

She was right. I was being mean. I was letting my day overwhelming and make me crazy and it had barely started. Sitting around the island eating breakfast with my kiddos should have been a joyful time as I got Ava's things ready for school that day. Not a stress ball of madness that I was making it. 

I felt awful the rest of the morning. I picked Ava up from school and she was joyful and happy just like she always is. After we came home and had lunch I sat down with her to tell her I was sorry for the morning events. 

In her small voice she said, "It's ok Mom, I forgive you. See Mom now you're heart is nice, you're not yelling."

I felt the Holy Spirit nudge me inside and say Rest on this. 

Sometimes it's easy for us as wives and mothers to let the duties of those role overwhelm us so much that our responses to circumstances in our days are not Godly or of Him at all. 

It's during those moments like the one I recalled in the story where Christ reminds me that my rest and my peace is in Him. To think on Him during moments of overwhelming tasks, and to drown myself in prayer and his word rather than lash out on my children. 

Just as my 4 year old gave me so much grace in the world, how much more of that does God have for us?

When we have bad days, rest in Him. 

When we're stressed and think we can't function, rest in Him.

When our children are screaming and not listening to us, rest in Him. 

Finally, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, what is admirable if anything is excellent or praiseworthy think about such thing. Whatever you have learned or received or hear from me, or seen in me put into practice. And the God of peace be with you. Philippians 4: 8-9 

This post is apart of a series #31daysofRestinginHim . Visit this link for more posts on this topic and follow along in this journey. Use the hashtag #31daysofRestinginHim on social media to follow along.

Loving People Well.

When I was a little girl my Grandma used to send me notes and cards in the mail, we didn't live near each other she lived in California and my family lived in Iowa. But she never missed a birthday card. As I grew older she continued this practice through out my entire life, in college I would get notes in the mail and it would make my day. I'm 31 now and she still sends me written notes in the mail, I got this one today. Did I mention the most awesome thing about this? We my Grandma (who turned 80 this week) lives right across the street from me now. Did you catch that? She sent me this card in the mail, when she could have just brought it over to me. Instead she spoke my love language, she was intentional about it. This is how you love people well. Not just by sending people notes, it's not about that. It's about finding ways to love on people, be intentional and show them. And not let other things like excuses get in the way of loving people. 

I shared this image yesterday on Instagram (@andreamworley) with the above caption. Sharing this made me realize that loving people well is all about showing them God's love. It challenges me because I know the more that I rest in Christ and ask him to show me things the more I can love on people better. 

As I become better in my relationship with the Lord, the more connected and in tune with Him the more I am able to love people well. 

The more I see their needs and not my own.

The more I see their hurts and know how to pray for them. 

The more God shows me it's not about me, it's about Him and furthering His kingdom. 

I'm challenged at this thought to be more intentional on how I love people. 

Jesus never gave an excuse of why he couldn't minister to people, he didn't. He did it because he was called by the Father to do so. 

We're the same. We're called to love people, love on them well. Love them genuinely. 

This post is apart of a series #31daysofRestinginHim . Visit this link for more posts on this topic and follow along in this journey. Use the hashtag #31daysofRestinginHim on social media to follow along.

Why Keeping the Sabbath is A Good Idea.

When I think of the Sabbath two things come to mind;

1. It's God's design.

2. It's built in rest.

We talked about this on day #2. God designed the Sabbath. He rested on the seventh day for a purpose. I think that God really designed the Sabbath for you and for me to rest, and to make sure we rested. 

In our culture and lives today I think one of the things that we struggle with is shutting down, and resting in general. It's such a obscure idea to most of us to take the day and do nothing. Rest. 

But God has really been teaching me a lot about keeping this day (the Sabbath) sacred. We all have stuff going on, so What exactly does that mean? 

Well this might look different for everyone but for me it means attending & serving our local church that day. When we come home it's a total family day. We play with our kiddos, sometimes I take a nap, we eat a late lunch and just be together.

We don't do any work. I mean, I don't do an ounce of housework. My husband doesn't work on chores. 

We take this day to rest and be together as a family and prepare for the week ahead. 

If there's stuff to be done, it gets done later in the following week. We really try to keep this day free of "doing stuff." 

Be together as a family, relax and prepare for the week ahead. We enter the week refreshed and relaxed. 

Keeping the sabbath is honoring to God. And this can look so many different ways for your family, for your life but I think the key about the sabbath is;

Intentional Rest.

How are you intentionally resting now?

This post is apart of a series #31daysofRestinginHim . For more posts on this topic visit this link for more posts on this topic and follow along in this journey. 

Rest and Do Nothing.

When I was a new mama everyone told me; "Sleep when the baby sleeps." And for the first couple weeks that was an awesome idea of which I took full advantage of. Which was easy to do when I had my mom, my Grandma, my Sister and a Husband all at my disposal to help me with everything. Those Grandmas they are awesome at making sure you eat, doing your laundry and just keeping your house together so you can just be with your newborn. My husband took a week paternity leave as well. Those first few weeks as a new mom were so wonderful to have all the help I needed to get the rest I needed. 

I remember the day my family all left and my husband went back to work. I said good-bye to them, I had Ava strapped onto my in the baby bjorn. I closed the door and thought; "Welp, it's just us, now what we I do?"

Sounds silly but I'm sure you've had similar moments if you're a mama. If you're not a mom, you're a women too who's trying to juggle it all. And just trying to do her best. I know as women we often don't take the time to rest and take care of ourselves, however let me challenge you with this; 

There's always going to be laundry to be done. There's always going to be a to-do list that could be conquered.

There's always another phone call to be made. But the moments you spend with Jesus are better and should be more than you do all those other things. 

Now, don't get my wrong her I'm not saying you should let your home go to crap, never get things done or neglect what you're responsible for. 

I am saying their should be priority in putting Jesus first. Setting down with him and reading his word, seeking his will in prayer and giving yourself permission to rest because he already has. 

My second challenge for you is this; every now and then do nothing. Rest and do nothing. 

When it's nap time and there's a million things to get done and it's your golden hour, I get it. But, instead sit down and do nothing. Take a moment for yourself. 

When it's the weekend and you want to tackle the things you didn't get to during the week, do nothing instead. Hang out with your family and not feel guilty about not getting something done or being "more productive."

Today during nap time I did something I've been wanting to do for a long time but just haven't. I sat down printed my Instagram photos and put them into little albums. Taking a moment to reflect and remember all these little moments and the life God has give me today. 

Resting in Him.

Instead of the million other things on my mind that I could have been doing. 

I hope you'll join me in this thought of "resting and doing nothing." Rest in him ladies.

This post is apart of a series #31daysofRestinginHim to find out more visit this link for more posts on this topic. #write31days