Dipping my toe back into the ocean of blogging this morning by responding to Five Minute Friday‘s new prompt word…
Better:
There’s a better way.
I’ve been jumping jittery from one to-do to another, making one insecure dive after another into things that I (and other people around me?) could think were productive and a good use of time. But all that tack has produced in me has been further jittery jumping into yet another busy-ness.
Then I stopped.
Then I came aside: to turn to God, to quiet my heart, to rest with Him and rest in Him. To ask Him what I should be doing, just what one thing. And even before that to ask Him more generally for guidance, for his viewpoint, His wisdom and thoughts on my life and my day, to show me how He was seeing it. I also took time to thank Him, for blessings in general, for blessings of the past day, for blessings of the morning. To show me where I’d gone wrong in the last twenty-four. Then I asked Him, what one thing did He want me to do in this day. And the answer came in this thought: Rest in Me.
And yes, I know: everything else will flow out of that, far better than from my jittery attempts at productivity.
[Stop.]
This post flowed out that way. So may my future blogging follow His navigation. And we shall see what we shall see…
Sylvia- I feel much release and relief after reading your post. I feel better about choosing rest today and into each day…asking for one thing that’s what I needed to hear.
Also I clicked on your post about faux calligraphy…I’m going to check it out…I often avoid lettering because it “takes too long” …you have a great encouragement to use it for slowing down which for me is needed.
Looking forward to where your blogging takes you this year.
Blessings
Kel
Ps I found the purple flower collage restful 💗
Hi Kel!
It’s so good to hear from you! And I’ve had two comments in my head for your blog that I haven’t “gotten around to,” also. That’s the funny thing: when I’m jumping around trying to do everything, it seems to be then that the procrastinations (or distractions) happen and important things don’t get done!
I’m so glad this was beneficial for you. I figure that’s because it came from God, and I was just the telegraph pole! heh
Also, about the purple flower collage: I just cut those two pages out of my collage book, and am in the process of mounting the pair to hang in front of my art work table. And again that irony: that a thing that makes you feel restful can also be the thing that encourages you to share through some outward effort gifts that God has put in your hands and heart.
Sylvia: I find I have to rest in the LORD in order to find the right things about which to journal or blog. When I have trouble falling asleep at night. I begin to pray for the needs of my friends and of the concerns I have for this world.
Hi Cecelia!
So good to hear from you, too!
It seems to me I read an article on creativity not long ago that claimed, as a result of scientific research, that creative efforts arise from that kind of rest far better than from restless, driving ambition. I believe it.
And what a good way to help get to sleep! I think I’ll work on adopting your “method.” Even if you can’t get to sleep, you don’t have to lie there just feeling frustrated, and something good is accomplished in that state of rest!
Been thinking about you! And here you are. Reading this on a Sunday, with a long list of to dos to plan into the week. Good timing. Goes with the lesson in Sunday school about living by flesh (what we have been ‘programmed’ to do) instead of by the Spirit. A verse mentioned in passing stuck with me (and would probably surprise the teacher) Psalm 62 5. “My soul, wait silently for God alone, for my expectation is from Him.” The context was in not performing for acceptance. So much to ponder. Glad to “hear” from you, sister!
Been thinking about you, too, friend Laurie. God’s timing again! I love hearing how God slips all these different forms of input in such lovely order into the time slots of our days and weeks.
Now we gotta get back on the email together. Blessings to you!
Sylvia,
“Then I came aside: . . .I asked Him, what one thing did He want me to do in this day. And the answer came: Rest in Me.”
Thank you for sharing this post. When you wrote “I’ve been jumping jittery from one to-do to another,. . .”
Oh could I relate! It reminded me of an acrostic poem I wrote titled:
“Frenetically Exhausted”
Faster, faster
Run, run, run
Everything
Needs to be done.
Even if I’m out of energy
Tired, too bad
I can’t stop
‘Cause
All these tasks
Literally
Logically
Yell at me until I drop.
E-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g
X/Y/Z
Has to be
Accomplished
Under
Strict
Total
Endless
Duress
This is how I felt during many of our parenting and home schooling years while teaching and raising our children. It seemed most days that whatever I was doing, I felt that I should be doing something (or ten somethings) else!
Gratefully,
Katie
Katie, I love that poem! What a clever acrostic! Glad it’s here to see “for keeps.”
And I know what you mean about the homeschool frenetics. I homeschooled, too, and did a long stint of “homesteading” style living and working, and yeah, it really got to be over the top too much of the time.
So glad you stopped here and commented.
A blessed week to you now!