Has it been one of those days? Maybe weeks?? Maybe months? Possibly your ENTIRE life?? Do you feel like you could just give up sometimes? I know going through the pressures that life can bring can sometimes wreak havoc on your soul. That is why it is SOOOOOO important that we get in touch with the Lord each day.
It isn’t enough to just go to church every Sunday and take that ALONE to feed and nourish your soul. Can you go by eating on Sunday and then letting that hold you through till the next Sunday rolls around? Just as your body needs literal food and water to replenish lost nutrients so does your soul need a continuous stream of life from God.
I have been personally guilty of this in my own life. I just thought I was too busy to take the time to get into God’s word. Yes, I was busy, I had many little ones to constantly take care of, schooling of the older ones, and a household to run. Oh wait, I also had a husband that needed his wife. Seems that I could never take the time to get ALL that I wanted done in a day’s time. I frustrated myself over and over again. Took my “crying” days and days of feeling like I didn’t want to do anything but just snuggle up on the couch and watch movies—to drown out my weariness.
But those days are gone. I don’t feel the need to be sad. I don’t feel the need to think my life is TOO hard. I changed the way I did things by instilling NEW HABITS into my life.
I now make it a habit of waking up each morning and taking my time in the Word. I found a great broadcasting show that comes on each and everyday at the same time. I KNOW that if I do not wake up I will miss my time in the word. I have even stepped it up a little more and decided to go to bed earlier—my old blog time, and get up before my bible time to do my blog. I know that if I DON’T wake up before my bible study show, then I WILL miss out on my blogging time. My blogging time is something I enjoy very much. I look forward to encouraging and sharing what it is God has in our lives to encourage others.
But it all had to start by changing a habit in my life. Yes, it was hard waking up at 5 each morning. But was it impossible? No it just took the habit of doing it over and over again. If I do sleep in, I miss the opportunity to do my writing and that usually encourages me even more to get up the next day.
We are all motivated by our successes in life. What drives you? What is it that you enjoy doing? Finding what you do enjoy and make time to do it is important.
There is always a way, we just need to adjust our old habits and make some new ones.
What we need is a RESTORATION of our soul. We need to be built back up from the inside out. It doesn’t help to start working backwards. We need to get into the Word and let God work on us from the inside so that the outside of us can get fixed. If we are getting in the Word each day, Our bodies are eventually NOT going to feel like they need to take days or weeks off from “reality” because life is too hard to cope with.
I love Psalm 23 and used to have it on our bathroom walls which I could read each day. I used to think it dealt with death because they use it at every funeral I have ever attended. But I got a new vision for what it means.
Living in the mountains, I enjoy being out in the morning when the sun is just starting to peak up over the mountain tops. It is a beautiful sight to behold. It starts out all dark and then as the light starts to come up over the peak, the LIGHT starts to fill in on the darkness. You get to see the true beauty of the mountain tops and all its glory.
Think of these verses as you are a sheep in life. Having your shepherd lead you along this rocky path of life. You are tired and hungry walking among all the rocks and crevices which are the bumps of life trying to reach the top of the mountaintop. He is constantly in charge so you have no fear of wolves coming to attack you. You just carry on letting Him lead. Suddenly you come up over the side of the mountain and you look out over the horizon and see the sun shining among all the grass. You made it, you are NOW able to lie down and rest on all this wonderful grass. You eat from this bountiful feast and drink from the cool water.
The struggles of our daily life can be hard, know that you can take comfort in your shepherd who is leading you.
Psalm 23
The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures.
He leads me beside still waters.
He restores my soul.
He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil, for you are with me;
your rod and your staff, they comfort me.You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;
you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life,
and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
