November 12, 2015

Rest Your Weary Heart... a Five Minute Friday post

I missed y'all last week! I was in California at a conference and it was wonderful. It was filled with a lot of people and noise and great content, but for an introverted slow processor, I would have preferred to have a few quiet days to ease back in to my normal life. Instead, every day was filled with plans upon returning and it's all great stuff - but I don't see an empty day until next week. (God help the person who tries to fill that day... That would be me... God help me!)

This is Five Minute Friday (- a five minute timed free write) and our One Word Prompt for the day is: WEARY

{GO}

Oh man... Weary.  That's a good word, right there! Well - not necessarily 'good' - but definitely timely and spot on for this season.

We can feel just the hint of it around all of our edges, right?
...and this is before the holidays even start!

Last week at the conference I attended, it came as no surprise that someone felt led to pray for those who had been battling an UNUSUAL sense of being weary and worn out. This was a conference for church leaders - of which I shockingly find myself to be now, and no one was shocked at the number of people who stood up for prayer.

I mean, we are tired, y'all.

It starts in our head... our thoughts are non-stop and exhausting and before we know it - it's our hearts that are worn out thin.



When weariness sets in, there is this haze that settles over our vision. It clouds our ambition and drive and it whisper-lies that everything is too hard and that nothing is possible.  It tells us over and over and over again that we just can't (even.)

It woos us and wants us and my how we give in to the sleepy desire for nothingness.

Just a break, please. 


Five minutes! Five minutes would do it... (it's just that sometimes we forget!  Ya see what I did there?)

Here's the deal... we are busy doing good... doing Kingdom work and it is blessed and His favor is all over it and yet, we are given the choice to allow weariness to take root or not.
"Let us not grow weary or become discouraged in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap, if we do not give in." (Gal 6:9)
Self-care is a real thing, my friends! And it is a real thing that we so often neglect!  

There are times and seasons to push through... there are. 
There are times when weariness is trying to slow you down or mess you up and stop whatever good you are doing and you just have to keep on keepin' on.  

Sometimes weariness comes at us and we must remember that there is a spiritual battle in a realm that we cannot see.  We wage war in the heavenlies and weariness has to go.  We build ourselves up and stir up our giftings and we speak life and we live by faith and it is good.  We remember that victory is ours and sometimes we just have to take it by force!  We do.

But there are other seasons and some times what is needed more than pushing through is laying down.

As in - for real... just go lay down!  

Take five minutes and be still and be quiet and let His Rest be a gift to you.



Self-care doesn't require a lot of time... but it does require a bit of intention.

The other night My Honey was listing off a list of all the things he should be doing after work.  He works a full time job and now we also find ourselves being associate pastors to a new church.  We feel like there is always stuff that we should be doing... as our church grows, so does that list.

Instead, he went to see a movie.

And rather than pushing through to cross off things on his list, he sat in a theater and relaxed and laughed out loud... He rested his weary heart and let his soul have room to breathe.

Those lists will always be there... but oh how we need times of refreshing! 

{STOP}

I pray that when you find yourself fighting off a bit of weariness, you will know what season you are in.  

If it is a pushing-through season, His peace will be your guide, His joy will be your strength, and His grace will get you through!  

If it is a rest-your-weary-heart season, His arms will pull you close, His love will fill you up and His Spirit will fall fresh on you again and again and again!




Linking up with Kate Motaung and the #fmfparty Community today.  Five Minute Fridays gives us the chance to dive right in and share what He puts on our hearts! Click here to read what others have to say about "WEARY"

The FMF lowdown: The gathering happens on Twitter on Thursday nights & then we write our hearts out & hit publish all over the interwebs on Thursday & Friday (& sometimes on Tuesdays!) It's where we encourage & uplift... where we share prayer requests & praise reports... where we talk food & friends & we find support & kindred hearts. It's where we are reminded that life is good & God is good & we're not alone... & then we all write for five minutes flat, a flash mob of wordsmiths letting our hearts & our fingers do the talking tapping & we hit publish before we can second guess it all away. 


We'd love to have you join us!

I am so thrilled to be returning to That Thing I Do Now on Saturdays, where I hook you up with some of my favorite reads from around the interwebs! 

Come back this weekend and I will announce the winner for the Dayspring Giveaway of Every Little Thing by Deidra Riggs and a gorgeous Everlasting Light "Shine" Necklace! Enter to win HERE.

23 comments :

  1. THIS: "f it is a rest-your-weary-heart season, His arms will pull you close, His love will fill you up and His Spirit will fall fresh on you again and again and again!" Thank You for that beautiful reminder. Oh and self-care is so important. I've learned its value so much in my life. Tomorrow is my day off and I'm going to take some time to just be still; perhaps even with a peppermint mocha in hand. Love you friend! You are always a gift when I'm feeling weary. I'm over in the #6 spot this week. And what movie did you see? I want to see the Peanuts movie.

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    1. Praying for you today, my friend - that you will find rest and enjoy a day of slower and calmer and that His presence will come in close! I actually didn't go to the movie... he was invited by a friend to go see a reshowing of some Monty Python flick - so, shocker, I gloriously stayed home in the quiet for my own time of self-care! ;)

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  2. Hi Karilee, Self care is important. Sometimes going quiet, putting off all the noisy life gadgets is all we need to be refreshed.
    Followed you from #FMF
    Thank you for blessing our hearts today.
    Many Blessings to you

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    1. It's so true... all of these modern conveniences can steal our peace and tire us out! Thanks so much for stopping by, Ifeoma!

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  3. Karrilee, I so appreciated this post. So very wise and practical - sometimes our weariness demands that we just lay down. For real. It is amazing how much a nap can restore our souls. It was wonderful to read this post on so many levels. Blessings!

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    1. I am not a good napper... I hear the rumors of the value of a power nap but if I nap - for any amount of time, I seem to never wake up refreshed. It's like giving myself permission to end any sort of productivity for the entire rest of the day... but sometimes I need that! ;) Sometimes I just need to lay down for five minutes of quiet and still my mind and open my heart once again to His Presence... in those times, I always come away refreshed! I'm so thankful for you, friend, and how you encourage and uplift! Thanks so much for stopping by!

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  4. Great post, friend! I found myself in weary yesterday. It's amazing what a time of refreshing with our Lord can do (and going to bed early!)! Thanks for the reminder to take care of myself. Such a timely word for us, isn't it?? Bless you, sweet friend. You're making a difference in this world!

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    1. Oh yes - the going to bed early! It's brilliant, but I seem to forget more often than I remember! WIth the holidays fast approaching, I think we can all use the reminder to practice a bit of self-care! Thanks so much for popping on over, Julie! Praying you feel His refreshing today!

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  5. I was reading Psalm 23 last night, actually did my first bible art journaling page. He makes us lie down. I am so thankful for His wisdom and knowing our need for rest. Have a blessed weekend.

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    1. Ah yes... Psalm 23... one of my favorites! And aren't you just so thankful that He really is smarter than us - and when we need it, even if we deny it... He leads us beside still waters for refreshing and -if needed - He will make us lie down! Blessings to you my friend! (and I loved your Bible Journal page!)

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  6. Hey girl, your writing is so descriptive, I am weary too. I think I also need a nap! But there is so much to do, do, do! And yet, I'm following your advice.
    You don't strike me as an introvert! But I am one too. We writers often are.
    Enjoyed your fmf post - I didn't enter this week because I was...well...WEARY! Lol have a great weekend!

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    1. Amen! I get that, Ruthie! LOL! Do what you need to do! My introverted ways tend to take over more in a large room, than in a small gathering... I get easily overwhelmed and I think it's because I desire to pour out - but with that many people, just the thought of it is exhausting! ;) I'm not sure if we are friends on fb (why not?) - but just in case we're not, I posted this last night as a declaration for myself - and for anyone else who wants it:

      It seems that many in the Body have been fighting off an unusual heaviness... an overwhelming weariness... but here is the Truth that I am standing on:
      "The Lord, the Eternal, equipped me for this job—
      with skilled speech, a smooth tongue for instruction.
      I can find the words that comfort and soothe the downtrodden, tired, and despairing.
      And I know when to use them.
      Each morning, it is God who wakes me and tells me what I should do, what I should say."
      Isa 50:4 The Voice

      So good, right? I declare it to be true for me and for you, my friends!

      Have a great and restful weekend, my friend!

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  7. Ahhh, Karrilee, your heart resonates with mine. I've really been thinking about the importance of rest. And the devastation busy-ness CAN (but doesn't have to) cause. Loved your words here. Thanks so much for the reminder of self-care and giving ourselves permission to relax and rest rather than push through the weariness to utter exhaustion.
    LOVED your post today!

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    1. And I loved yours... in fact, it will be featured in my weekend post That Thing I Do Now tomorrow! (And did you happen to read Emily Freemans' post today? It's included in that link up as well!)

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    2. Awww, thanks. I haven't been over to Emily Freeman's post. I'll look at it. :)

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  8. I always say, "You can't feed others (spiritually) unless you are being fed." Great post!

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  9. I NEEDED this reminder today. I run 3 businesses as well as do all of the web and social media for my church. My husband works two jobs, and we only have one car. I am definitely weary, and the haze is getting thick. I feel like I cannot drop any balls, but I desperately need to take some time to recharge my batteries. Great post!

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    1. Oh friend... I think when we get SO overwhelmed - it feels like we need days and days of rest - and yes, that would be nice! But I encourage you to literally set a timer for 5 minutes a couple of times a day and just sit in silence... it will take practice to actually stop the thoughts and the running around in your mind... but you will get there and will find refreshing in 5 short minutes, each time you do it! Of course - I'm praying for a longer chunk of time for more thorough self-care!

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  10. Karrilee,
    what a blessing for you to share the two seasons. I don't think a single person could read this and not be able to find themselves in there. I think I've found myself caught between them. I'll confess to needing naps now that I'm teaching consistently 3 classes a day, 5 days a week. It's a lot more mental work than substitute teaching.

    But oh, when we rest and just leave this crazy spinning world in His more-than-capable hands, we find that it never stopped spinning just because we closed our eyes. :) Sometimes we give ourselves a little too much credit.

    Great encouragement and I LOVED your Isaiah that you shared with me!
    Love,
    Tammy
    (tammysincerity)
    #12 this week

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    1. Oh yes... we do tend to give ourselves a bit too much credit, don't we? He is the only One who ever holds this spinning world steady... it's just that sometimes we forget! ;) So glad you stopped by... and that verse in Isaiah (50:4) - SO GOOD, right? Glad you loved it too!

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  11. You always bless me with your words, Karrilee. When I feel like just laying down and quitting may I always remember your advice.

    Blessings,
    Lynette
    ~#76 this week

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    1. What a sweet, sweet comment! Thanks so much, Lynette! (and may I remember my advice, too!) ;)

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Thanks so much for stopping by! I always love to hear your thoughts! Remember to: Speak Life - Be Love - Shine On!
~Karrilee~

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