Encouragement

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Discerning the Reason for Rest
by Dan Langerock


Remember the days when you came home from work and you were bone-weary, so tired you just couldn't go on? When we are physically tired, it is easy to discern our need for rest and perhaps a change of pace to rejuvenate. Yet, when we are 'tired' in other ways from going through the stresses of life, grieving some event that has left us devastated or whatever the reason-we don't always take the hint and give ourselves time to recoup.

For example, one woman's daughter, at the death of her husband, was told that she had grieved long enough for him. Grief takes its own time to heal our wounds of loss-- it cannot be rushed. The mandates of our society can put a time limit on what we feel, but we do not have to listen to these irrational voices.

One lady lost her husband on Christmas Day. Her grief has remained unresolved to this day because she has allowed herself to remain stuck in one level of the grieving process for whatever reason. She needs help, but sometimes help is not wanted.

This Is Just A Resting Place

Sometimes the road of life seems long
as we travel through the years,
And with hearts that are broken
and eyes brimful of tears,
We falter in our weariness
and sink beside the way.
But God leans down and whispers,
"Child, there'll be another day."
And the road will grow much smoother,
and much easier to face,
So do not be disheartened -
this is just a resting place.
Author Unknown

There are times in life when we must push ahead and do what has to be done. But, we often get caught in the trap that all there is to life is work, and little time for rest.
We trudge along growing more weary as we go, refusing to refresh ourselves with the sustenance of rest. Our bodies may appear to be resting but our minds are still working away on worry or whatever, disallowing the rejuvenation we desperately need.

Jesus said, "Come to me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest". However, we must want to accept that grace of rest for it to be beneficial to us. We may believe it is out there somewhere, but until we access it personally, our lives will not enriched as they should be. There are many things we can dwell on that will rob us of rest and peace. We must take the time to stop and consider what we are doing to ourselves when we continue in this vein of thought and action. We must set aside a time to relax and let God help us in these troubles and all the things we are going through.

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