Listen:
Are you tired? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me – watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. (Matthew 11:28-29 The Message)
Reflect:
God promised me rest, a different kind of rest, but the best kind.
In spring of 2006 I had a mastectomy and chemotherapy. It was good that the chemotherapy worked so well, but bad that I had many side effects. Every time I had a round of chemo I spent one to two nights in the hospital.
Because the chemo worked so well, I was written off work for six months. This was the first time I had had six months off work since my first child was born. I had been working and working and running on empty. But then I had enforced free time –and I could do very little but think and pray.
God caught my attention in this time and slowed me down and gave me an enforced rest and a whole lot of time to reflect. I am not saying God caused the cancer, but He certainly used the opportunity for me to redirect my life.
What I was able to keep on doing was going to church and praising God in worship. This was a balm to my soul. God let me sing and pray my heart out, even though my body was extremely tired.
After that time, I changed my direction for work and at church. Mostly, people became more important, activities less important. Later God gave me Lifesprings to rekindle my joy in studying His word.
Today I am still asking that question, “What is important for God in my relationship to Him?” – and I have come to believe that being with Him is way more important than doing anything. Being with others is more important than any program. And PRAYER is key.
Prayer of Response:
Thank you God, dear Father, dear Jesus and sweet Spirit, that you are the one who numbers our days and that you want us to focus on you and let all the stuff we are doing “fade away”, so that you and people become most important in our lives. Thank you for our health and lives, even when they are “not perfect”, you use us anyway and you use all things to draw us closer to you. For this we give you all the glory and praise. AMEN.
Questions to Ponder:
- What is important for God in your relationship to Him?
- How has God been intervening in your life to call you to be closer to Him?
- How can praising God become more important in your life?
- What has God recently done that you can praise him for?
- How can you make people more important than the activities you are involved in?
—Submitted by Patty Jehle
Patty Jehle, MA, is a Swiss citizen, born in the USA who has been living in Switzerland for almost 30 years, is married to Patrik and has three adult children. She’s currently a university lecturer, a certified spiritual director, and a certified business coach and supervisor, – and joined the board of her coaching organization. She attended the very first LSM and helped out with LSM-Zürich. Since 2006 she has been cancer free, thanks be to God. (www.jehle-coaching.com )
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