15 Apr 24 in Twenty-Ten: Scripture Memory Verse #8
Soul Rest
Good afternoon sweetest friends – and congratulations on making it to Scripture Memory Verse #8!! Woohoo!!! Hey, I’d love to hear from you about the difference that this is making in your life. Let’s comment this week about that… encourage one another in working the Word!
Well… I survived the 10 days with sweet Josie, our 2-year old granddaughter! We had a ball and yes, I’m pooped. Did I happen to mention to you that I sprained my left arm/elbow while I was on a walk… 3 days before she arrived? (Please do not tell my Mother!) Yep! Call me “Grace”! It was like a scene from Seinfeld; I think I tripped for 3 blocks before I finally leaned over into the grass and caught myself with my left hand which torqued the living daylights out of my arm! Yes… of course it hurt! It still hurts. The sad (or maybe hilarious) part is that this lady on an oversized tricycle, pulling a basket with her dog in it, stopped and asked if I was all right. I shot up off the ground and in my most cheerful and “alright-sounding” voice said, “Oh, yes. I’m fine! Just fine!”
Liar, liar, pants on fire, nose as long as a telephone wire!!!
I was not fine! I was hurt! And I was also green and leafy! As I started down the rest of the block toward my house I noticed that there were leaves stuck all over me, my black jacket and walking pants were now bright chartreuse green from rolling in the pollen-covered grass, and I could not straighten my left arm…. But, oh yes, I was F-I-N-E!
Why do we do that? Or maybe you don’t. But I think most of us act like everything is just fine when clearly it is not. Do we think others can’t see it? OK, that’s a topic for another blog on another day. My acting coach had an acronym for FINE; it wasn’t too polite, but it was true. I’ll save that for the other blog on another day, too.
Glory to God, I managed to care for that busy little sweet pea in spite of my ailing arm! She was a delight and delightful! Let me share with you just one of my very favorite Josie expressions: she’d come up to me at times when I was busy doing something else, her little arms reaching up and saying, “Hold you, Punky! Hold you!” – meaning that she wanted me to stop what I was doing, pick her up and hold her. That would usually result in me taking her over to the couch and cuddling with her for a while, reading a book or watching Pooh, Dora or Cinderella. So sweet just to be still with her for those moments. Everything else came to a stand still and she was quiet, resting in my arms… we were quiet together.
We flew Josie back to Atlanta last Sunday; I stayed for a few days to visit with the sisters and Christin… then flew to Orlando yesterday. And today I’m writing to you from beautiful New Smyrna Beach, Florida! A 6-day-get-away for my man and me- graciously gifted to us by our very dear friends, Caryl and Bill McAlpin. Caryl (pronounced “Carol”) is my BFF; we go ridiculously way back and have been through the ups and downs and ups again with each other for decades. C & B knew we were in desperate need of some R&R and have been insisting we take them up on their very generous offer to stay at their new-and-newly-beautifully renovated condo… 8th floor, overlooking the Atlantic! New Smyrna Beach is the beach I grew up on. It’s exactly an hour’s drive from Orlando and was the regular weekend hangout all during my Jr. Hi/High School years (if sand could talk!), and is the beach within reach for almost everyone from my hometown. To give you a better perspective, NSB is to Orlandoans what east Texas ranches are to Dallasites. Substitute cows and horses for shells and sand. (grin)
So here we are, at the beach, just when we needed it most! Both John and I have been looking forward to this respite so very much. A respite for body, mind and spirit. My body has a way of reminding me that I am still very much in the healing/recovery process from all the BC stuff. As great as I have been feeling (sans the little tripping incident), I’m still not 100%, but that’s to be expected. It will come… with time and rest. Body rest. Mind rest. Soul rest. It all works together.
I so love, and often quote to others, Jesus’ beautiful invitation in Matthew 11:28-30; and though I can recite it by heart, the Lord has placed it on my heart this week to meditate on, to study, to pray it out, to live it out.
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30
Already I see so much in these 3 verses that could revolutionize a persons life if truly lived out daily. And what I love so much is that the Lord is inviting us to an intimate relationship with Him; the kind of relationship that offers us rest… soul rest.
Perhaps you are in need of some “soul rest”, too. Perhaps you need to just cuddle up with your Jesus so He can “hold you” close. Come to Him, beloved, come to Him.
Resting in Him!
Punky