The Value of Doing and Resting

Well, that was an exciting couple of months there. I was so blessed to get the journals out to you, to speak at the conference, and to share Michael’s and my exciting news of being debt free! The Lord gave me loads of ideas and creativity. It was a season of doing and developing.

My body has now informed me that it is time of rest. It’s funny you know. Every time I feel this way, I start wondering why. Is something wrong with my body? Are my concussion symptoms coming back? Am I going to be able to keep working? It fascinates me how quickly I forget.

That is, until I allow myself to reflect on the last couple of months. That’s when I realize how busy I’ve been. I was working ten to eleven-hour days sometimes. I’d be bursting with ideas or thoughts that I had to get out. I couldn’t sleep well at night. My mind wouldn’t shut off. The excitement kept coursing through me.

I’m so grateful for that season. I’m thankful for all that the Lord downloaded to me. But as I now take some time to slow down and regroup, I find I’m thankful for this time now as well. The Lord reminded me this is how the pattern of Jesus’ ministry went. He served, taught, healed, and then went away on His own to spend time with the Father. He knew the needs would always be there. He also knew that He had to take care of Himself in order to give the best of Himself to others.

Rest is critical. By resting, the Lord can meet with us and re-strengthen us. If we constantly gave and never replenished, the Lord wouldn’t be able to grow us or use us as He desires. We’d eventually become bitter, burned out, resentful children of God. It is essential to learn to be okay with the ebbs and flows of this life. It’s inevitable. I don’t think a consistent balance can ever be reached. Jesus didn’t fully serve everyone every day of His human life. He served, He rested up, and then He served again.

By taking time to rest and ease off on some things, it gives us the chance to look back on the previous season and see where the Lord was working. What did He do in and through you? Where did He show up in your day-to-day? Was there an awe-inspiring moment? Or was it more of a consistent every day faithfulness?

This time also allows you to learn. What does God want to talk to you about? How does He want to strengthen and rebuild you? He knows you best. He’ll minister to you accordingly. He may even give you a glimpse of where you’re headed. But it’s hard to hear and know those things when you’re busy.

Both seasons are important. The last couple of months gave me opportunity to work on things the Lord laid on my heart to do. It had great value in developing the dreams He’s given me, while learning so much about Him. Now, because I don’t have the energy to pour much out, aside from the regular daily commitments, I have more time to learn and listen. The Bible is captivating me in a new way. I’m seeing Jesus’ story grow more intimately as I read through the Old Testament once again. I’ve also got more time to listen to others and support them through prayer and encouragement. When I’m in a busy season of doing, I don’t give as much time and room to connect with others.

No matter what season you find yourself in, there is great value in it. The Lord is always with you, guiding and teaching you. You’re of great worth to Him and every single day of your life is important to Him, whether it seems like it to you or not. The more we let go of our expectations of what a certain time should be like, the more we give room for Holy Spirit to guide us where we should be.

I asked people to pray for me, to hold me up through this time of exhaustion. It was taking longer in my mind to recover than I thought it should. I was so grateful for the dear friends that prayed. The Lord used their prayers to hold me up in a different way. They allowed me to see the reason for this time and the value in it.

That’s the beauty of prayer. Though we may pray one thing thinking that’s what the person needs, the Lord hears those prayers, interprets the prayer warrior’s heart, and knows what the other person is actually in need of. Then He answers those prayers accordingly. The Lord knew that I didn’t really need a whole lot more energy right now (though it would still be nice!). He knew that what I really needed was to be able to connect with others; to listen, encourage, and pray with those in need. He knew I needed time away from writing and creating. He knew I needed to refill my spiritual cup in time of worship and reflection with Him.

He takes the heaviness of the quiet time and turns it into something beautiful; something we can treasure. It turns our hearts into a place of worship and restoration rather than frustration and hurt.

I’ve had a season of teaching and developing. Now it’s time to rest. The book will get finished.  The course will be written. God’s plans will come to be in His time.

How are you doing? What kind of season are you in? Is it time to step away from the routine and soak up a moment with the Father? Or are you flowing with His ideas and putting them into action?