When you turn around and look at the week you just came through, does it make you shake your head in disbelief? Do you wonder how you got it all in? How all that laundry was washed, all those meals prepared, all those time schedules met, all those texts and phone calls answered?
How much of what you did this was actually planned, and how much of it was a bit of a surprise that the Lord handed to you? With each surprise event, the Lord gives grace. With each thing that makes us take in a sharp breath, He is there. Heartbreaking disappointments, illnesses, people hurts…God knows about them all and He was/is there to give you grace to respond.
After those things are over we are often weary. We are not sure we can, or sometimes even if we want to go on. But if the Lord has allowed us to see today, He also wants us to live it joyfully, even if only deep in our hearts (it will eventually make its way to your face). We need time to be refreshed. We must step back and regather our thoughts in a biblical way.
To refresh yourself at times like this, you need a little space.
- Get to a quiet place where you won’t be disturbed (okay, lock yourself in the bathroom, if need be!).
- Turn on some music that will lift your heart to the Lord, or sing to Him.
- Read or listen to the Word of God being read on your computer or phone. (Psalm 42 has recently refreshed my heart.) Read/Play it over and over, if you need to.
- Talk to the Lord. Pour out your heart to the Him.
- Don’t leave until your heart is refreshed.
Now that your heart is encouraged (which must come first!), don’t be afraid to do something nice for yourself at the end of a busy week! Enjoy a cup of coffee at a coffee shop, get out your crafty stuff and craft away, buy a magazine that you normally wouldn’t buy for yourself and sit in a cozy spot at home and enjoy reading some good ideas, or splurge on a dessert you haven’t had in a long time. A little refreshment will go a long way at the end of a busy week!
The t-shirt idea I mentioned on Wednesday’s Peek inside the Parsonage is detailed here. Check it out if you’re in a crafting mood!
Be refreshed,
RefreshHer 