Wednesday, May 2, 2012

Come, Rest





“Then, because so many people were coming and going
that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them,
‘Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.’”
Mark 6: 31 (NIV)

            In my past, I have been known to rush around getting things done. I remember one December I decorated our living room in 45 minutes. That’s all the time I had that Saturday. Our son was in elementary school, he was in the church Christmas play-that practice was two hours long in the morning. The pastor’s wife and director of the play had chosen that afternoon to have the kids meet again at the church and go sing Christmas carols to some of the shut-ins. And we lived across town from the church.
            One May, I returned home from work at 5:00, jumped into the tub, washed my hair. I got out of the tub and blow dried my ‘crowning glory’, dressed, got into the car and drove across town to arrive at church 6:15 to meet the committee to register mothers and daughters and guests for the spring Mother-Daughter Banquet.
            Present day, I know I can’t and shouldn’t move that fast. Age and its related aches and pains have slowed me down considerably. Also, God has given me several beautiful insights.
            In 1995, I didn’t feel I could attend the spring Mother-Daughter Banquet of the church I was a part of. I touched on my reason for my decision as I visited a lady who attended my church and who knew part of my background. She said she understood my reasoning.
            The night before Mother’s Day, the traditional night for the banquet, our phone rang, my dad wanted to come talk to us. When I toe Hubby, he thought it had to do with my stepmother’s health.
            When Dad arrived, he told us he had been to Indy to one of the heart hospitals. Previous to that trip, he had ‘flunked’ a stress test ordered by his primary care doctor. The medical personnel at the heart hospital wanted to admit him. He told them he couldn’t because the friend who took him down had to get home to receive a breathing treatment.
            The three of us talked. Hubby and I knew the importance of following up on this bad test result. We told Dad we would take him back down to the hospital when he could get an appointment.
            As I reflected on the happenings of that evening, I realized God had arranged for me to be home that evening. You see, as close as I can tell, Dad called about the time the banquet began.
            God allowed me to find peace about my decision as I had realized my friend truly understood my reason for not going to that banquet. But God had His own reason. He knew I needed to hear Dad’s news directly. God taught me a lot that May. But, in order to do it I had to be willing to step away from what everyone else was doing and allow Him to strengthen me for what lay ahead.
            Our trip down to the heart hospital resulted in Dad having emergency heart bypass surgery and a two week stay in that hospital. I wouldn’t have made it through without the help of God, praying friends, and my family.


14 comments:

  1. Wow. This just shows how important it is to slow down and listen to the Lord's voice in our hearts. Thanks for the reminder, sis.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Jeanette:
      Thank you for your thought. All of us have to learn this lesson in order to grow closer to the Lord. And you're welcome.

      Delete
  2. I know we sometimes get frustrated by delays, red lights, detours, and disappointments when things don't go the way we wanted them to. But when we take the time to stop, look, and listen...God is most always using these moments to get our attention...to redirect our paths...to protect us from pending disasters. Yes, we need to slow down and listen to what God is saying in the "side trips" of life.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you for your lovely thoughts. I believe God orchestrates our moments. He understands those frustrations. I read some thoughts on the 23rd Psalm where the writer reminds the reader that God engineers the moments we need to regroup by those still waters and green pastures. We all need to rest and recreate ourselves.

      Delete
  3. Quiet Spirit is such a lovely name... Great to meet you!

    Praising God that you were home the night your dad had to have emergency heart surgery.

    You have a very beautiful blog with a lot of inspiring posts! I'd like to invite you to be my friend and follow each other:)

    I enjoyed my stop at your blog and I'm looking forward to reading more of your posts.

    God bless. -KC

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you for your many kind thoughts and for deciding to follow me. I usually post here on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Please feel free to visit here whenever you are led.

      Delete
  4. I wonder how many times this happens and we don't even realize!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I don't believe we will know this until we see Jesus. Sometimes when I think about something in retrospect, I wonder if God had been in the workings of what happened.

      Delete
  5. I really like how the Lord guides our steps, Cecelia. Thank you for this beautiful reminder!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you for your thought. If the Lord didn't guide us, we'd be on our own. I don't know about you but, I'd make a mess of things. I base this on the times I haven't listened to God and went on my own path to do something.

      Delete
  6. Rest is so important. I know I have a tendency to hurry around too much. Good point, thanks so much.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you for visiting. God has taught me that I need to rest. Fibro and Arthritis require rest in order for one to feel
      'decent.'

      Delete
  7. It amazes me how awesome our God truly is and how much He cares for each of His children. He guides and directs us so we are in the places we need to be. Awesome!!!

    God bless ya sweetie and have yourself a beautiful day! :o)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. He cares for each of us as if we were the only one in the world. God is so AWESOME. He loves me as we are and yet guides us to be the persons He wants us to be.

      Thank you for visiting.

      Delete

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