June 1st we entered into a season of rest. My hubby and I have been involved in and led ministry for the last 10 years. Saying yes to things is not bad in anyway. We love being involved in things and filling our lives with God's work. We also have 3 kids so that adds sports, friends, sleepovers, invitations, and lots of fun activities! Our son has autism and that adds 6 or more hours a week of therapy and my husband is a veteran and he also does therapy every week. You get the idea right! We were very busy.
We felt God calling us a season of rest. We backed away from all ministry related commitments. We took sports down to one per child, we made therapy a priority and we stopped saying yes to everything that came our way.
That was 6 months ago.
It is incredible how clearly we can hear the still small whispers now that life has slowed down around us. This has been a beautiful season! I am very grateful for it! Seasons are just that, seasons, ans they don't last forever. We are already headed into a new season as we prepare for full time RV life in spring!
What I never expected to come from our season of rest was a season of peace.
Thinking of being calm and peaceful right now during the holidays is probably an oxymoron to most. This is a time when most people feel the rush of the holidays. Stress of shopping, irritation of holiday traffic (I mean where do all these extra people come from right 😂), annoyance of all the crowds in every store, maybe even some trepidation of seeing family members at Christmas.
Some families are experiencing loss for the first time this Christmas. Feeling that absence and knowing that traditions are not going to be the same because their loved one isn't here this time. Others have spouses overseas serving in the military or another capacity of sacrifice for our country. Sadness, depression, loneliness, all of these emotions can be rampant during the holidays.
Jesus is called the Prince of Peace in Isaiah 9. He came to give peace and He continues to offer that peace to us.
Our season of rest has not meant that we have sat around and done nothing. We are still non stop almost everyday! But instead of filling our empty time with yeses, I have filled mine with listening. I've tried to keep a running conversation going with God. I am asking Him what is it that He wants, that He desires, and asking Him to show me, help me to see it, and keep me on task!
My time of rest is not over but I can feel the transition like a physical presence. The awareness of peace is more evident than ever.
I had no idea that when we said yes to the obedience of rest a season of peace was to follow.
What a reward! Saying no to things we wanted to do has been HARD. Saying goodbye to ministry has been SAD. We miss it. Not jumping into other opportunities has been TRYING. Telling the kids no has meant lots of DISAPPOINTMENTS. Surprisingly, resting is harder to do than you think. Oh but the PEACE that has followed! I can't tell you how this reward of peace is blessing me. Contentment is filling my soul like never before.
Christmas is the time to celebrate the birth of Jesus. And there is no better time for me than now to be able to soak in this peace and truly feel the contentment of being His child. I am loved, forgiven, whole and filled with His peace. A peace that could come from nowhere else.
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