Ever live through a season where one thing takes all your attention?
On Saturday October 21st, the very first Amaze Live conference happened here in Colorado. What was it like?
God was here. Right in the middle of it all.
You could see Him in the worship. You could feel Him in the dramatic poem. You could hear Him through the Word. And you could watch Him as women united around grace and experienced the truth of being more than enough in Christ. I hardly have words, my heart’s so full.
As I’ve crept out of my conference-only hole the last few weeks, it’s been to rest. Oh, I’ve done some laundry, called a couple people, cleaned a bedroom here and there, and even stared at the next few items on my business to-do list.
But things are S.L.O.W. — like walking through a molasses swamp and your feet take their own sweet time.
Have you faced a season like this where your heart and body agree it’s time to rest?
Ways to Enjoy the Ebb & Flow
When we look at nature, we realize God created life to ebb and flow on purpose — seasons, planting and harvest, the ocean. Sometimes we’re pouring out. Sometimes we’re drinking in. Like the tides, our lives have seasons of recede and rise, come and go.
A wise way to embrace the ebb and flow is by paying attention to two things:
1. Insist on the best story
Every day we get to choose the story we believe. During seasons of “go get ’em,” we can remember that God goes before us and with us. In other seasons of rest and rejuvenation, we can choose the story that says “I am better able to be who God created me to be when I embrace the ‘ebb’ as fully as I do the ‘flow.'”
It’s a battle some days — especially when the voices of society, religion, or family demand a constant busyness. Especially when the enemy tries to trick us into believing that good wives/friends/moms/ministry leaders don’t really need “down” time.
Those days we have to stomp a foot when the guilt starts. And then we remind our hearts of Jesus’ promise in Matthew 11. His story for us is the one where we let Him show us what real rest is like and how to let Him exchange our overworked, try-hard weariness for His rhythms of grace. (Matthew 11:28-30 MSG)
2. Embrace life-giving moments
In a season of rest, we can also learn to embrace what fills us up. To pick some self-care experiences, and, well . . . experience them! The best ones are simple and make you feel content and unhurried in your spirit.
Some easy self-care to try:
- Long chats with Jesus
- Reading a favorite Bible passage
- Cooking for people you love
- Journaling what God’s doing in your heart
- Shopping for new curtains or pretties for the house
- Letting new ideas or plans float in your head (instead of solving them immediately)
- Enjoying a good fiction book
- Going to coffee with friends
- Enjoying long lunch breaks
- Taking your puppy for extra-long walks
So whether it’s an ebb or a flow season today, let’s trust God’s creativity in our lives and trust Him to show us how to trust His love and grace to help us navigate everyday life, no matter the season.