Party like a princess...

So times are a changing here in the King household. Almost 2 teens live here, and soon to be a bunch of pre-teens to follow. :) Trying to...

Friday, April 23, 2010

take.a.load.off.

from my devotional this morning...
[taken from beyond. a devotional magazine for young women....
i could not find an "author" per say for this segment.]
drop everything.
that's easier said than done, right? you have places to go, people to see, things to do. you're constantly juggling school, work, family, friends, church. and you think that if you look away for even one second, everything could come crashing down.
obviously, we all have plenty to do, and not all of it is going to affect the rest of our lives. we'd never get anything done, either, if we spent every minute asking ourselves, "is this the absolutely best thing i could be doing right now?" but it's a question to think about now and then.
do you hve time to pray every day? can you relax enough to enjoy a good book or a long walk outside? is there room in your day for devotions and quiet time? in the midst of all you do, are there times you can just be with God?
life was never meant to be a nonstop stress-fest. it's okay to slow down. in matthew 11:28, Jesus says, "come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and i will give you rest."
so drop everything. take a deep breath and rest for a while. you'll never lose the time you spend with Jesus.

and then there was this too...

a while back, ( or in my case this morning :) ) i looked at my to-do list and noticed something terribly wrong. it wasn't so much what was on my list. the problem was what wasn't on my list. time for me.
time for you.
before considering me selfish, stop a minute. as Christian women, we spend most of our time taking care of others-coworkers, friends, spouse, sunday school students, children, roommates-and next to no time making sure we're rested and cared for.
i was on the brink of burnout, so i knew i had to make some changes. while i was sure a two-week vacation in a sleepy town in Italy would do the trick, i decided to settle for a few simpler and less budget-busting ways to pamper myself:
1. celebrate relaxing traditions.
[her roommate and her have an annual couch potato day, when they
stay in their jammies all day and watch three movies in a row.] oh
my word...i think this sounds glorious...i tried to have a jammie
day this winter during one of the blizzards...and it kinda worked
only i STILL had visitors. (which i LOVE...just not when i am still in my jammies. :) ) oh well...i've got to stop caring so much
about what others think of me... :)
2. nap. enough said. :)
3. dream big, act small.
she talks about picturing yourself five years from now. what do you
hope you've accomplished, seen, or achieved from now until then?
her big dream encompasses Italy...mine would be much smaller. i
love dreaming of matt and i's motorcycle trip this june...which
truly will be a miracle if it comes to fruition...our week at the beach
vacations with my family...and on a much more practical scale...
scoring B.I.G. at a yard sale this summer...you know finding a
coach purse for a dollar....something like THAT. :)

at the heart of all these ideas is a simple principle: you're a priceless person created by God and you deserve to be treated as such. you're not being selfish; you're striving for balance. you can't meet everyone else's needs and do everything God has designed you for if you're running on empty.

truly my soul finds rest in God;
my salvation comes from him.
truly he is my rock and my salvation;
he is my fortress, i will never be shaken.
psalm 62:1-2.
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.
matthew 11:28-29
so...this so resonated with my soul this morning. i hope you can pluck something from it that resonates with yours. mk.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

im so with you miss. i think theres not a day that goes by that im not raked with guilt that im not spending enough time with my kids playing, enough time praying, enough time loving my honey and the never ending list of "to dos" that follow my day. yet when i take that walk in the early A.M. and park myself on the bench on our front porch with Jesus my soul finds rest........thanks for the challange! bless you as you pursue all your day has in store for you!

Heather Buckwalter said...

thanks miss..that was encouraging this early monday morning!