Tripping Over Typeset

After a long exhausting day, I lit a candle and settled in for a quiet evening.

Weariness from the day weighed on my mind and too many things pulled for my attention. There were too many needs for one soul to meet or carry alone.

Some days, it’s all too much and we can’t get it all done.

LIFE — We know we’re not the savior of the world but we’d like to at least feel like we can salvage something. And at the end of these weary days, our souls need some salvaging work.  We need a respite from the burdens of the day.

We need a place to settle in and open the Word.

Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the Lord our Maker; for He is our God and we are the people of His pasture, the flock under His care. ~ Psalm 95:6-7 (NIV)

We are His people… we are under His care.

Our days are filled with giving out and caring for others. From early hours to the end of our day, our schedules demand attention and time, we give of ourselves and our reserves run low.

Not only do demands of the day beg for attention but relationships, finances and worries claw for attention as well.

After a day of our pouring out, God calls us away to a place where He can pour in.

Sometimes, we answer His call to “Come… and bow down…”  and other times a quiet moment with a lit candle just isn’t going to happen. We need a respite in the middle of our chaos! We need a place of bowing down in the middle of the madness.

But how do we manage a moment of respite when traffic is obnoxious, deadlines are looming and people are demanding?

The writer of this Psalm was familiar with weary days and how our perspective can become skewed and out of proportion. He invites us to remember the greatness of God, who is on our side.

For the Lord is the great God, the great King above all gods.

In His hand are the depths of the earth, and the mountain peaks belong to Him.

The sea is His, for He made it, and His hands formed the dry land. (Psalm 95:3-5)

If He can handle all of that, He can handle our issues of the day.

Looking at how He intricately designed creation to synch and rhythmically work together. We can trust that He can synch our schedules and daily demands if we place them in His care.

• Slow down and breathe– Breathing more deeply allows more carbon dioxide to enter our blood. More carbon dioxide helps synchronize our heartbeat and breathing. By breathing slower and more deeply from our stomach, we signal our nervous system to calm down. So slow down and breathe! (You didn’t know you were going to get a science lesson today, did ya!)
• Walk away- Step away from the situation. Get up from the computer, put the phone down, take a walk outside.  Taking a break helps us manage a stressful moment better.
• Close our eyes – Shutting out things visually— even for 30 seconds— breathing deep and clearing our minds can reset our focus and perspective.
• Ask for help – Some of us independent types have a harder time with this but I am learning how this is a good thing. Making our need known gives people the opportunity to lighten our load. Also nothing changes if nothing is communicated. (I’m learning that one, too!)

When we are weary from decision making and exhaustion from the dealings of the day, laying it out before Him is a good place to let it rest and find perspective for our situations and circumstances.

Our part isn’t to solve the issues of the day but to bring them to Him for perspective and peace.

We can’t solve all the problems of the day. But we can take a breather, even if it’s for a moment. We can pause in our day, remember the One who cares and carries us through our days.

And whether we’re able to settle our hearts in quiet moments or whether we find our place of respite inbetween crazy moments of the day, God is in it all and meets us where we are. He sees our need and settles our hearts with His peace.

Today, if you are weary and worn give your soul some time to rest. Settle into His presence and lean into His grace. When we remember His care for creation, we remember how He cares for us.

We are His people and we’re under His care.

Finding rest for our souls,

~ Rachel