402. Celebrating God's Grace - Breathe, Rest, and Reset

How do we live this abundant life God's Word talks about in John 10:10 when we are, quite frankly, often so tired – on the verge of burnout. We, as women, wear so many hats. We desperately need time to rest, to rest in Him. To breathe and reset – to gather strength, His strength, and allow His power to work through us. Just like our bodies need sleep and rest – our souls need rest too! Rusanne Carole, our host, takes us on a Christian meditation to spend time with Jesus. Take a "Mini-Sabbath" and step into His presence to refresh and renew your soul. ******* Welcome to Celebrating God's Grace, a WWL's podcast. I am your host, Rusanne Carole. Thank you for joining us today and we invite you join us each week on Monday, Wednesday and Friday where a variety of interviews, teachings and sharing of God's grace helps uplift us and support us in our walk with God. Today I thought we would look at how to live the abundant - a life of resting in God knowing He has all things under control. We can feel anything but abundance when we are exhausted, overwhelmed and the battles keep coming…how do we live this abundant life God's Word talks about in John 10:10 when we are quite frankly often so tired – on the verge of burnout. We, as women, wear so many hats. Some of us are carrying quite a bit – You may be: Caring for a loved one who is totally dependent on you Looking after an elderly parent Trying to juggle work and home duties – which may even include home schooling young children and many women are doing this alone without the support of family or a husband We may have health issues we are facing – financial problems to try to work through The list goes on. and we desperately need time out, to rest, to rest in Him. To breathe and reset – to gather strength, His strength and His power to work through us. Just like our bodies need sleep and rest – our souls need rest too! Matthew 11:28 Jesus says "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. And Psalm 23:1-2 tells us the Lord is our shepherd and we lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures; he leads me beside quiet waters. Our soul is defined as our mind, thoughts and feelings. How do we turn the unhealthy thoughts of the mind and unhelpful feelings felt in the heart over to Him – to be restored, refreshed, and renewed enabling us to move through each day with courage, strength and operate with the perseverance needed to persevere in this world! By being in His presence! By allowing Him to take us to lie our souls down in those green pastures, to lead us beside the quiet waters where all we see is His face, all we hear is His voice. I am presently going through one of the most difficult times in my life and what sustains me is Him. I cannot get through this tunnel I feel I am in without looking to Him and His Word constantly – knowing who He is and His promises are for me no matter what I am facing in the natural. The Bible talks of two women who were very close to Jesus. They and their brother, Lazurus, were friends with Jesus. Any of us who have studied the Word know that Martha is described as the "doer" and Mary as the women who sits at Jesus' feet – some might say she is able to simply "be". But we need a balance of both! We are called to pray on all things, do what we can and then leave everything else to God! I don't know about you but I can pray, do what I can, give it to God then keep picking it back up! Worrying thoughts, the what ifs! The confusion! The fear! How do you sit? Sit still when there is so much to be done. Globally, women are now working outside the home & this is on the increase year after year. So there's work to be done to pay the bills then work to be done to be there for our children or husband or family. I just love the Word of God. It really does have all the answers to life's questions… and challenges we face. One thing it tells us is in Hebrews 4 – we must MAKE EVERY EFFORT TO ENTER REST! We were given a gift called the SABBATH. Mark 2:27 says the Sabbath was made for man, not man made for the Sabbath. Yes, God rested on the 7th day and looked at everything he had made and said, "It is good". He didn't need to rest! I think He was modeling what a good and abundant life looked like for His children – just as we are called to do the same. The little ones are watching us – how we live, what we say… So it is intentional – on purpose -that we take the time to rest. Rest our body and our soul to renew and reset with more strength and focus. It's easy to seek the "other things" – the "worldy things". God tells us these are the idols in our heart that need to be cleansed. Where do you go to get rest and comfort? ...