soul care Archives - Page 2 of 3 - Sharla Fritz
February 5, 2019

Spiritual Disciplines: Palms Down, Palms Up Prayer

This post is part of my Spiritual Discipline series where we will explore practices that connect us with Jesus in His Word. If you want to find out more about Spiritual Disciplines you can look here. 

In her wildly popular book The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, Marie Kondo encourages her readers to get rid of any belongings that no longer spark joy. That cardigan you loved, but is now worn and pilly? Discard it. Those shoes that took you all over town, but are now looking rather sad? Toss ’em. Kondo encourages us to keep only those things that bring joy. (Note: Kondo’s book is helpful, but I cannot wholeheartedly recommend it because she also talks about treating your belongings as if they are living things.)

I admit that I need to sort through my belongings. There are clothes in my closet that I wish I had never purchased and items that are well past their prime. My books outnumber the spaces on my bookshelves and documents spill out of my filing cabinets.

But even though I should tend to my overflowing possessions, this season I want to tend to my heart. I want to take the time to sit quietly with Jesus and allow Him to point out what needs to be tossed. I want to ask: Lord, is there a sinful attitude that I’ve been hanging onto? Is there some anxiety or fear that I haven’t let go? Am I still grasping onto self-sufficiency? Or an illusion of control over my life?

So I am using Spiritual Disciplines to guide my time in the Word. I’m using these ancient practices to spend time with my Savior. Spiritual Disciplines have been used by faithful Christians for centuries, even millennia. They are a way to focus our attention on our Savior and to receive His gifts.

Palms Down, Palms Up Prayer

One Spiritual Discipline that has helped me in the past is the Palms Down, Palms Up prayer. This prayer helps me sort out the stuff in my heart. To release what is sinful, harmful, or crippling. And to receive what is comforting and encouraging.

Palms Down: I begin this prayer by sitting in a comfortable chair and placing my palms down on my legs to symbolize my desire to release my concerns to God. I ask the Holy Spirit to show me what I need to let go. Is there anything blocking my relationship with Christ? What anxieties have I unconsciously been hanging onto?

My prayer might go something like: Lord, You know that I’m concerned about John’s health and about our kids in China. I confess that I have not trusted You completely in these areas. I’m anxious about my work. I’m stressed out about my long to-do list. But I now release all of these concerns into Your loving hands.

Palms Up: After I have released my worries, confessed my sins, and unloaded my self-sufficiency, I turn my palms up to symbolize my desire to receive from God.

Now my prayer might be something like: Lord, I praise You for Your love for me and all those I care about. I thank You for the peace You so faithfully give–peace that passes understanding.

I invite you to try the Palms Down, Palms Up prayer. It’s a simple way to come humbly before God and empty our hearts of our fears and our sins. Turn your palms down and unload the burden of guilt. Let go of anxiety. Give Him whatever is bothering you and whatever is stressing you out. Then turn your palms up to receive God’s forgiveness, peace, love, truth, or rest.

Give God whatever is bothering you and receive His forgiveness, peace, love, and rest. Share on X
Let Go

Maybe, like me, you need to clean out your closets. But even more important than hiring an organizational expert to sort through our closets, is asking the Holy Spirit to sort through our hearts.

Philippians 4:6-7 says:

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

It is so reassuring that God invites us to give Him all our worries, anxieties, doubts, and fears. He is willing to hold them for us and give us His peace and love in return. And the more we allow Him to carry our bag of uncertainties, the more His peace will guard our hearts and minds from Satan’s attacks.

Let go of your concerns and receive God’s peace.

Here are some Scriptures to guide your prayer:

Palms Down: Psalm 55:22, Palms Up: Isaiah 26:3

Palms Down: 1 Peter 5:6-7, Palms Up: John 15:9

Palms Down: Hebrews 12:1, Palms Up: Jeremiah 31:3

Palms Down: Psalm 51:3-6, Palms Up: 1 John 1:5-9

Palms Down: Philippians 4:4-6, Palms Up: Philippians 4:7

Next step: For the next five days, practice the Palms Down, Palms Up prayer.  Experience the joy that comes from unloading the burden of your fears and guilt and receiving the Savior’s love.

Filed Under: Spiritual Disciplines Tagged With: , ,
November 27, 2018

5 Steps to Soul Rest in the Hustle of the Holidays

Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you

The holidays are upon us. I love the smells of pine and mulled cider. The sight of sparkling lights and glittering packages. The sounds of Christmas carols and jingle bells. The tastes of hot cocoa and Christmas cookies.

But along with all of these wonderful things, the holidays can also arrive with a ton of stress.

This is especially true in the age of social media when everyone posts pictures of their perfect family outings. When we see Pinterest posts of dazzling decorations and fantastic food. We may feel pressured to not only do it all but to do it better.

This threatens our soul rest. It prevents us from experiencing Christmas in “heavenly peace.”

So how can we find soul rest even in the hustle of the holidays?

Here are five ways I’ve found that can help:

Evaluate

Evaluate what is most important. Talk with your family and come up with a list of the five things that are most meaningful to you. You might discover no one cares about the annual trip to see the city’s Christmas tree or getting tons of presents. Highlight the traditions that are most important. Put those on your holiday calendar and consider dropping the rest.

5 Ways to Find Soul Rest in the Hustle of the Holidays

Simplify

Simplify your traditions.  When I was growing up, my family entertained a lot and my mother made sure we had plenty of treats for all the visitors. Every December we baked and decorated hundreds of cookies. When I grew up, I tried to carry on that tradition. But now I’ve simplified Christmas baking to only three types of cookies–my family’s favorites.

Some other ways we simplify: We put up a Christmas tree, but don’t put up any outdoor decorations. My husband and I have agreed to exchange only one hand-made gift. We send out an “Epiphany Letter” after the holidays instead of trying to send out cards before Christmas.

Choose

Choose a more peaceful holiday. After you’ve identified your most treasured Christmas traditions and simplified them, other activities and invitations are sure to arrive and threaten your peaceful Christmas. At each new opportunity, determine is this added activity will enhance your Christmas peace or unravel it. Choose peace over hustle and bustle.

Let Go

Let go of guilt and comparison. Once we’ve made the choice to have a peaceful Christmas, Pinterest posts of perfect Christmas trees will appear. We’ll see Facebook photos of friends out ice skating. We’ll be tempted to think we should be doing those things too. But let’s not false guilt and joy-stealing comparison derail us from our choice of a peaceful Christmas.

Focus

Focus on Jesus, the new-born King! Christ came to bring us soul rest. He said, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). Because of His humble birth, sacrificial death, and glorious resurrection, we don’t have to strive for acceptance with God. We don’t have to work hard to get to heaven. We simply receive God’s gifts of faith and salvation. When I focus on that fact, I find rest. Rest from working for approval, attention, and acclaim.

Some ways to focus on Jesus: Read a Christmas devotional. Reread the Christmas story in Luke. Listen to Christian Christmas music while you’re cooking dinner. Stop for a moment in the middle of the day to thank the Father for the gift of His Son.

Jesus invites me and invites you to let go of the hurry and activity of the season and rest in His love.

Next step: Make a list of your most meaningful Christmas traditions. Find ways to simplify some of them. Choose a peaceful holiday season. Let go of guilt and comparison. Focus on Jesus, the newborn King!

Filed Under: Spiritual Disciplines Tagged With: ,
February 27, 2018

Practicing Lent: Unplugging

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I love technology. Most of the time.

I’m so glad that I can play peek-a-boo with my 20-month-old granddaughter via Skype–even though she lives 8000 miles away. So happy that I can text a funny picture to my son (his favored mode of communication) in the middle of the day and get a “ha-ha” from 400 miles away in only seconds.

But sometimes technology crowds my life, distracting me from what’s really important. Even as my nose is in the Bible, my ears may be listening for that important call. I close my eyes to pray but keep peeking at my phone.

Spiritual disciplines have been around for thousands of years. When Christians first began these practices there wasn’t a Spiritual discipline called “Unplugging” because there was nothing to unplug. They didn’t have to deal with the distractions of email, text messages, and Facebook. But even then they felt the need to get alone with God. Jesus Himself often rose early and retreated to a lonely place to pray.

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After one particularly busy day when people were coming and going, Jesus said to His disciples, “Come away by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest” (Mark 6:31).

Hear Jesus inviting you to a quiet place today:

Come away to a quiet place and get some rest. Silence that cell phone. Turn off the Internet. Ignore Facebook posts and text messages for a while. Take some time to bask in the stillness and hear My voice. The noise, the busyness, the cacophony of technology threatens to down out My peace. So sit in stillness and rest your soul.

So how do we practice Unplugging? What are some practical ways to find quiet from technology? Here are some suggestions:

Each week choose one day to unplug. I celebrate the Sabbath by worshipping God with my brothers and sisters in Christ and by staying off my computer. After six days of writing, blogging and dealing with hundreds of electronic messages, unplugging feels like a breath of fresh air to my technology-suffocated soul.

Each day choose an hour or two to unplug. Turn off your cell phone at eight o’clock. Get out your Bible and journal and spend some time reading God’s Word and hearing His words of love to you.

Choose a period of time to fast from social media. Use the time you would have spent on Facebook or Instagram to read a devotional, listen to Christian music, meet with friends in real life.

Limit your technology use. Choose an amount of time to be online and stick to it. It’s easy to get caught up in all the Internet rabbit trails. Set a timer and stick to your time commitment. The remainder of the day you can rest your soul from the noise of modern life. Have a backup plan for when you’re tempted to go beyond the time limit you set. For instance, write out the Scripture for the day and when technology tempts, meditate on God’s Word.

This week hear Christ’s invitation to come away to a quiet place. Find that quiet in silencing the modern world for a while. Discover rest in God’s peace.

Next step: Decide how you will practice Unplugging this week. Download this free resource to guide your meditation on God’s gift of quiet and rest.

 

Filed Under: Bible Study, Spiritual Disciplines Tagged With: , ,
February 20, 2018

Practicing Lent: Personalizing Scripture

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When I was eighteen, a friend of mine gave me a bookmark and I was ecstatic.

Not only because I love to read and always need a bookmark nearby. Not only because it was beautifully handcrafted.

I was over the moon because my friend had cross-stitched my name on the bookmark!

With a name like Sharla, you can’t go to the drugstore and find a personalized toothbrush. Stores do not stock key chains or notebooks or pencils with “Sharla” printed on them.

So having something with my name on it felt so “personal.” It was unique to me. Only another Sharla would want it (and I’ve only met two other Sharlas in my lifetime).

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Recently, my small group was studying 1 Corinthians with the book Live Full, Walk Free. In the last chapter, author Cindy Bultema encouraged readers to personalize 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 by inserting their name in place of the word love.

For example:

Sharla is patient, Sharla is kind. Sharla does not envy, she does not boast, Sharla is not proud. Sharla does not dishonor others, she is not self-seeking, Sharla is not easily angered, she keeps no record of wrongs.

Honestly, this exercise made me cringe a bit because every statement seemed so untrue. I have been known to envy grandparents who have their grandchildren in the same city. I am definitely not patient when my computer fails to cooperate. (Just ask my husband.)

But the process of personalizing this passage was helpful. It brought me to my knees, asking the Holy Spirit to weave this kind of love into my heart.

Personalizing Scripture can be a meaningful spiritual practice. Sometimes it’s easy to read the Bible like a dusty volume directed at people who lived thousands of years ago. Or hear a passage and think of someone else who needs that message. We don’t always feel the impact of God’s words on our own hearts and lives.

But when we put our own names into the passage it can take on a deeper meaning.

One of my favorite passages is Zephaniah 3:17:

The Lord your God is with you,
    he is mighty to save.
He will take great delight in you;
    He will quiet you with His love;
He will rejoice over you with singing. (NIV 1984)

Now if I put my own name in the verse:

The Lord your God is with Sharla,
    he is mighty to save Sharla.

Suddenly, God seems nearer. I marvel that the Lord rescued insignificant me from Satan and hell.

He will take great delight in Sharla;

Amazing thought! God’s heart is gladdened by me!

He will quiet Sharla with His love;

God knows I am easily stressed out. He is all too aware of my worries and concerns. But He can also quiet my insecurities and anxieties with His love.

He will rejoice over Sharla with singing. 

What?! I inspire song? And music? What an incredible image of God singing songs with my name.

Now it’s your turn. Put your own name in Zephaniah 3:17.

Revel in God’s love for you. Rejoice in His saving strength. Listen for His love song.

Next step: This week practice Personalizing Scripture. Download a resource with Scripture verses to use for this exercise or find your own. Journal what you learned through these personal words of God.

 

Filed Under: Bible Study, Spiritual Disciplines Tagged With: , , ,
February 13, 2018

Practicing Lent: Prayer of Recollection

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I settled in my cozy chair, ready to open my Bible and hear from God. Ready to open up to God and tell Him all that was in my heart.

But even as I sat in peaceful quiet, my thoughts left the pages of Scripture and ran to my to-do list. As I spoke to my Savior, my conversation was interrupted by thoughts about upcoming teaching responsibilities, the embarrassing incident that happened yesterday, and the laundry in the dryer.

No doubt about it, I am easily distracted.

During this Lenten season, I want to take time to focus on Christ and the sacrifice He made for me. To do this, I am going to use Spiritual Disciplines–practices Christians have used for centuries to grow closer to God. No doubt, you already use some of these practices–like Bible study, prayer, Holy Communion, and Christian service.

During the next few weeks, I am going to explore some specific forms of these Spiritual disciplines and invite you to do the same. All of these practices will be based on Scripture. As we read, pray, and meditate we will do so using God’s own words to us.

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Prayer of Recollection

This week we will explore the Prayer of Recollection. There are many forms of this prayer, but the purpose is always the same. In the Prayer of Recollection, I recollect–remember who I am in Christ.

Too often I forget this. I see myself as a wife, mother, daughter. I define myself by the work I do. I look in the mirror and see someone who said something insensitive to her spouse. The person who was too busy to help a grieving friend. I wish I could change the mistakes of yesterday.

Too often I forget who I am in Christ. I fail to remember that I am more than my mistakes and flaws. I am more than what I do.

That’s when I need to go to God’s Word. There the Spirit reminds me:

  • I am accepted.

Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God. Romans 15:7

  • I am chosen.

You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you. John 15:16

  • I am loved.

The Lord appeared to us in the past, saying: “I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with unfailing kindness.” Jeremiah 31:3

  • I am made new. 

 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! 2 Corinthians 5:17

As I meditate on these truths, I recollect–remember–who I really am.

Dealing with Distractions

But even as I pray and try to direct my thoughts to God’s Word, my mind seems to wander off to other destinations.

Even as I meditate on Christ’s acceptance of me, I wonder if my new boss has accepted me. As I contemplate what it means to be chosen by God, I start to hope I will be chosen for a position that would garner a lot of public attention. Even as I remember Christ’s sacrificial love for me, my thoughts traipse through my to-do list.

I can berate myself and tell myself to get my act together, or I can recollect my soul–bring it back to God by taking note of my distractions. As I pray, I notice my rambling thoughts so that the Holy Spirit can gently deal with any distractions of my heart.

Adele Calhoun writes in her Spiritual Disciplines Handbook:

In the prayer of recollection we pay attention to our wandering thoughts and attachments so that we can be transformed….We open ourselves to seeing how secondary things have become idols of the heart–how our agendas, possessions, appearances and comforts matter more than keeping God first in our lives.

I find it helpful to keep a journal or a simple piece of paper nearby to write down any distractions that come to mind while I’m praying. Putting the reminder to make that dentist appointment on paper, gets it off my mind so I can refocus on Christ. But as I make note of these distractions, I may also discover the “idols of my heart.” Do my thoughts continually travel to an upcoming vacation? Do they constantly turn to my long to-do list? Do I spend more time thinking about my job than God?

I can take all of these diversions to God. I confess any idols. I give Him my concerns and anxieties. As I confess, I receive His forgiveness because of Christ’s work on the cross (1 John 1:9). I am comforted, knowing that the Father is in caring control of all that is happening in my life.

And then, I once again remember that I am a beloved child of God.

Next step: This week practice the prayer of recollection. Download a resource of Scriptures to guide your prayers.

Recollect who you are in Christ

Record any distracting thoughts

Recieve God’s forgiveness and comfort

And again, recollect who you are in Christ.

 

 

Filed Under: Spiritual Disciplines Tagged With: , ,
November 28, 2017

3 Ways Abiding in Christ Can Change Your Life: Remaining

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What does abiding in Christ mean? First, it means connecting. Second, it means keeping. Third, it means remaining.

When my husband graduated from seminary, his first call as a pastor was to a church in Missoula, Montana. He had asked for placement in the northeastern part of the United States. So naturally, the powers that be thought Montana would be perfect.

When we first arrived in the city, we immediately wanted to leave. We knew no one. Our family was all in the Midwest or the Northeast. We were lonely and disillusioned. But God asked us to stay–to remain.

This word–remain–helps me understand the concept of abiding in Christ. Lately, I’ve been studying the word abide: What does it mean to abide? What does abiding look like in real life? How can abiding change me?

One of the English meanings of the word abide is “to dwell or reside” as in “I abide in a quaint but remote mountain village.” When you abide somewhere you live there. You stay there. You remain there.

To abide is to remain.

South African pastor Andrew Murray wrote:

It is faith in what Christ is, more than anything else, that will keep you abiding in Him…there is nothing wanting but just my consent to be what He has made me, to remain where He has placed me. I am in Christ.

To remain is to accept who I am in Christ–to not try to be something I’m not.

To remain is to be content where I am–to not fight the place or position God has placed me in.

To remain is to trust God’s goodness, His timing, and His plans for my life.

3 WaysAbiding in ChristCan Change Your LifeRemaining

Remaining sounds easy. And it is–if you like where you are.

But when the place God has placed you is filled with difficulty–you simply want to move on.

When we first moved to Missoula, Montana we wanted to leave. We did not want to stay. The heartache of loneliness made us want to move on.

But eventually, we grew to love Missoula. Its setting in the Rocky Mountains is stunning. The people of our church were welcoming. The ministry was rewarding.

Remaining was not easy, but in the end, it was worth it.

As I continue to study what it means to abide in Christ, I am learning that it means to remain where He has placed me. To accept His plan for my life. 

This changes my life. If I make the decision to abide, I don’t spend my energy trying to move ahead of God’s will. I don’t constantly struggle against my place or position in life. Instead, I focus on what God wants me to do where I am right now. I remain in His love, drawing on His strength to produce fruit where He has placed me.

To abide is to remain.

Next step: Is remaining easy or difficult for you right now? Ask the Father to give you the strength to remain and produce fruit where you are–whatever your place or station in life.

Filed Under: Contentment, Spiritual Disciplines Tagged With: ,
November 14, 2017

3 Ways Abiding in Christ Can Change You: Keeping

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I have three grandsons. They are all born to the same parents and they all live in the same household. Yet they each have a distinct personality.

One of the ways they differ is in their “cuddle factor.” One grandson prefers to be loved from afar. You need to grab a hug and then let him go. Even as a toddler, he would often try to wriggle from my grasp. Another grandson loves to be held. He is generous with hugs and loves to snuggle during storybook time. The third grandson is somewhere in the middle. He will tolerate hugs, but not too many.

In my own spiritual life, I sometimes act like each of these grandsons. Let me explain.

During my study of the word “abide” I began with John 15:5:

I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.

I learned that the Greek word translated abide in that verse is the word meno. I was surprised that one of the meanings of meno is “to be held, kept, continually.”

In my previous blog post on abiding, I talked about how my focus has often been on producing fruit instead of abiding. I have concentrated on doing “important” things for God, instead of staying connected to Christ.

But the meaning of the Greek word for abide informs me that not only can I not produce fruit on my own, I cannot even abide in my own strength. To abide is not to hang on tight, but “to be held.”  To abide is not continually keep my grip on Christ, but “to be kept.”

3 WaysAbiding in ChristCan Change Your LifeKeeping

What’s the difference?

I am not the one doing the holding or the keeping. Jesus is.

South African pastor Andrew Murray puts it this way in his book Abiding in Christ:

The soul has but to yield itself to Him, to be still and rest in the confidence that His love has undertaken and that His faithfulness will perform the work of keeping it safe in the shelter of His bosom.

and

Abiding in Jesus is nothing but the giving up of oneself to be ruled and taught and led, and so resting in the arms of Everlasting Love.

I have to admit that I am often not very good at this abiding thing. I am often much more like the grandson who resists being held. It seems too passive–too static. Give me a four-point plan and I’m ready to take action. But to sit still and listen to the Lord? To admit I can’t do it by myself? That’s hard to embrace. (Pun intended.)

I’m asking God to help me be more like the grandson that loves to be held. To teach me to rest in His love. To give me the strength to give myself up to “be ruled and taught and led.”

Abiding is keeping. But it is not my keeping. It is God’s keeping, protecting, and holding my soul. My job is to not wriggle away from His grasp. To not resist His hold on my life.

Next step: Write a prayer thanking God for His strong and loving hold on your life. Ask Him to teach you to abide in that love and to not wriggle away from His grasp.

Check out my other posts on abiding in Christ: Connecting and Remaining.

Filed Under: Spiritual Disciplines Tagged With: ,
June 7, 2016

Seven Resources to Help You Find Soul Rest

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Life is hectic. It’s imperative that we find time to rest.

Every season of life has its demands and it we don’t care for our bodies we risk illness. We risk harming our health and losing our sanity!

And if we don’t care for our souls we risk relinquishing our peace. We compromise our joy.

I encourage all of you to take time to rest. To spend some time with family and friends. To do something you love to do, but don’t always have the time. To connect with Jesus.

To help you find the soul rest that comes from connecting with the Savior, I am listing some of my favorite resources for finding spiritual renewal. Pick one and use it this week!

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Here are the resources, with links and a favorite quote from each:

A Place of Quiet Rest, by Nancy Leigh DeMoss: “God has a never-ending supply of grace, strength, and wisdom available that He wants to flow through us to others. And we need to keep coming back into His presence to get our supply replenished…If we fail to stop and draw from His fresh, infinite supply of mercy and grace, we will find ourselves having to operate our of our own depleted, meager resources.”

Resting Place, by Jane Rubietta: “Rest helps us find meaning in our work and relationships, gives us places to evaluate what we’re doing with our hours and our hearts, what difference it all makes. Rest–reflection, meditation, breathing in God’s presence–lowers stress, calms our heartbeat and redirects our attention from the created to the Creator.”

Satisfy My Thirsty Soul, by Linda Dillow: The “Prayer of Quiet: Dear Lord Jesus, you once spoke peace to the wind and the waves. Speak Your shalom over my heart. I wait silently…patiently. I receive into the very core of my being Your loving command, ‘Peace, be still.’ Amen.”

Finding Spiritual Whitespace, by Bonnie Gray: “Finding spiritual whitespace isn’t about carving out an hour of time to escape the things that stress us. It’s getting away from everything we do to distract ourselves from all the hidden pieces–in order to nurture our soul. Spiritual rest is a journey of awakening our hearts to fully receive.”

Soul Spa, by Sharla Fritz: “The Father invites us to solitude so we can hear His whisper above the noise of the world. He asks us to come away with Him so we can pour out the messy contents of our hearts. He beckons us to time alone so he can give us what we need.”

The Father invites us to solitude so we can hear His whisper above the noise of the world. Share on X

Soul Spa Kit, free download (sign up at the below this post): “Who needs a spiritual retreat? You do. Although soul care may seem like a luxury, it is actually a necessity for your well-being. When your spirit is tired and worn, your physical self suffers too. You are less able to be the generous and kind person you want to be. Your heart cries out for more Jesus.”

7 Habits That Promote Soul Rest, A series of posts here on my blog that outline habits helpful for soul rest: “Ah rest, that is what I need. Soul rest. The kind of rest that would calm my heart.The kind of respite that would obliterate the restlessness in my spirit.The kind of stillness that would cancel out the craziness of this world like noise-cancelling headphones wipe out the pandemonium around me.”

Take time to rest this summer. Let the Lord restore your soul.

In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength. Isaiah 30:15

Next step: Choose one resource to explore. Schedule time this week to rest in the presence of God.

Sign up for my Soul Rest newsletter and get the free Soul Spa Kit!


Filed Under: Spiritual Disciplines Tagged With: , ,
May 11, 2016

7 Habits That Promote Soul Rest: Sabbath

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For years, I struggled with the idea of Sabbath. I knew the commandment, “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy” (Exodus 20:8). But as a pastor’s wife and church musician remembering the Sabbath day meant getting up early, going to church, playing the piano or organ, and rehearsing with the praise team or choir. I loved it all, but it was anything but restful.

Then I began to read about incorporating God’s original idea of the Sabbath as a day of rest into modern life. Truthfully, that seemed impossible. As a wife, mom, piano teacher, and church worker I was already struggling to get everything done. How was I supposed to finish all my tasks if I took a day off?

But God kept tapping me on the shoulder through magazine articles, blog posts, and conversations with friends. Suddenly, everywhere I looked people were talking about the Sabbath.

God was inviting me to rest. 

7 HABITS #5Eventually, I accepted the invitation and began using Sunday afternoons and evenings as my Sabbath. I still need to work as a church musician in the morning, but I use the rest of the day to rest my body, soul, and spirit.

Here are some ways I incorporate rest into my Sabbath:

Rest my body. I ignore the crumbs on the floor and the clothes in the hamper. Instead, I lounge on the couch or take a leisurely walk in God’s creation.

Rest my soul. One the best things I do for my soul on the Sabbath is to take a break from technology. I spend a lot of time on my computer during the week. Shutting down email and Facebook for one day rejuvenates my soul.

Rest my spirit. God’s Word rejuvenates my soul. On Sunday morning I worship with my brothers and sisters in Christ and soak of the Gospel. Later in the day I might read an uplifting devotional book or spend extra time in Scripture. You might even select a book or study to be read only on Sundays–perhaps reading through C.S. Lewis’s works or digging deep into Galatians.

God’s recipe for soul rest is:

Take six days of work.

Add in one day of rest.

God's recipe for soul rest is: Take six days of work. Add in one day of rest. Share on X

Too often I’ve ignored this recipe and the result has been an exhausted, frazzled soul.

Accept God’s invitation to take a break from your usual hectic pace. Rest in His love and grace. Allow Him to renew your soul.

Next step: RSVP with a yes to God’s invitation to rest. Find a day each week to rest your body, soul, and spirit. Make a list of things that rejuvenate your soul and incorporate them into your Sabbath.

If you want to learn more about Sabbath and soul rest check out my book Soul Spa: 40 Days of Spiritual Renewal. CPH.org has a special sale price right now!

 

Filed Under: Spiritual Disciplines Tagged With: , ,
May 3, 2016

7 Habits That Promote Soul Rest: One Thing

One Thing

I have long suffered from the syndrome of TTDIA–Trying To Do It All.

My calendar is filled with activities. My planner is stuffed with unmet goals. I try to pack more and more into each day only to realize when it’s time to go to bed that I haven’t accomplished even half of what I set out to do.

My frenetic pace reached a climax a little over a year ago. I knew things had to change, but I didn’t know how to make the shift. I could figure out what action to take.

Then my husband was diagnosed with a disease even more serious than TTDIA. The doctors told him he had non-Hodgkins lymphoma. It was a shock for this usually healthy-as-a-horse man. Medical personnel assured us that his prognosis was good, but now our time was spent in doctor’s offices, medical test facilities, and chemotherapy labs.

Obviously, my priorities changed. Activities and goals that seemed so essential became unimportant.

But life went on (thankfully) and certain things still needed to be done. I felt restless and anxious over how I would accomplish everything.

In the midst of the chaos, God gave me a solution. Instead of Trying To Do It All, He invited me to ask Him what needed to be done.

7 HABITS #4So I began a new habit. Each day I would ask my wise Father, “What is the one thing You want me to accomplish?” I focused on completing this task as soon as possible. Then, even if nothing else got crossed off my to-do list, I had the confidence that I had finished what the Lord had asked of me.

Thankfully, my husband is now in remission. (Thank You, Lord!) But I have continued this habit. This simple morning exercise brings me daily soul rest.

TTDIA is exhausting. If you’ve ever suffered from this syndrome you know the symptoms: feelings of anxiety, fear, and dread crowd your heart.

But when we ask the Father what is truly important and fulfill His desire for our day we will find peace, sufficiency, and strength.

When we ask the Father what is truly important and fulfill His desire for our day we find soul rest. Share on X

[By the way, the habit of One Thing is also one of the habits I teach in my eCourse Distracted: 12 Faith-Focus Habits for a Frenzied World. Find out more about this course by clicking here.]

Next step: Every morning this week, ask the Father, “What is the One Thing You want me to do today?” Then whether He points you to an item on your to-do list or asks you to accomplish something you didn’t even think of, focus on that task first. 

 

 

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