Last weekend I was able to enjoy my monthly adventure and since it was February I thought it would be fitting to check off my list, spending 24hrs with the Lord (the Love of my life). I had no idea where I was going to go but I knew the Lord did and what a blessing this time away was. I always love going on a women’s retreat with church, you get to get away from the hussle and bussle of life, be out of your house with your best friends and other women who are tiered and thirsty for a fresh sip of the Word along with the desire to have their hearts changed to be more like Christ’s.
This was going to be a bit different in some ways and I was so excited to see what the Lord was going to teach me through this time. I had nothing planned I just wanted to rest in Him and let Him lead our time together. So Friday afternoon I set out for about an hour drive to a sweet farm house that was offered to me and I just couldn’t believe how perfect it was! I drove down a long gravel drive way through beautiful pine trees, acres of fields with beautiful black cows roaming with baby cows following right behind their mommas. My heart just leaped with joy and thanksgiving of God’s grace to be experiencing this. I quickly got settled in and was tucked in bed by 6:00 o’clock ready to read and pray till my hearts desire. Though I was so excited for this time and even asking that the Lord would give me energy to stay awake as long as possible He knew that the first thing I needed was rest. Yep at 6:30pm my head was on my pillow and I was out! I woke up a few hours later thinking “oh Lord no, I’m so sorry I didn’t mean to fall asleep on you!” and He graciously said “Rest”. So 12 hours later at 6:15 the Lord gently woke me up to His sun rise, the bright reds, oranges and yellow colors beaming through the forest of trees into my bedroom window and I leaped out of bed like a child on Christmas morning. I didn’t want to miss this beautiful painting that He had made, I felt like it was just for me. So that morning I stayed in bed from 6 till about 12:30 just devouring His word and gleaning wisdom from a few other books I brought along.
I am still on the course to read through the Bible in a year and I am a bit behind according to the schedule but I'm totally okay with that cause God doesn't work according to a schedule and finishing Exodus was perfect for my time with Him last weekend. As I began reading I had kept thinking "Gosh Lord, I wish I had a day like this every week" and He gently reminded me, you are suppose to have a day like this every week....it's called the Sabbath!
Exodus 35:2 "For six days , work is to be done, but the seventh day shall be your holy day, a Sabbath of rest to the Lord. whoever does any work on it must be put to death.".... DEATH- this is serious stuff, God's not joking around with this. How many times I have heard this and read this yet it is still such a challenge or I feel guilty because there is so much "stuff" I should be doing. That is SO far from the truth! That is nothing but the enemy trying to get me to not spend 6+ hrs straight with the Lord and to really rest from a hard/busy work week. So new challenge.... from here on out this year I want to create the habit of having a Sabbath day- where I do stay home and sit still with the Lord, I don't go run errands, do laundry, clean the house, etc.
This past month as I have been reading through “One Thousand Gifts”, I have been praying that the Lord would help me see the details in my life, that the lens that I look through wouldn't be set on the broad scope but it would be more of a magnified glass. From Exodus 25-34 God is explaining to Moses all the details on how He wants the Tabernacle built inside and out. These chapters I use to just skim through thinking I'm not going to learn from these... ahh how prideful and wrong was I!! As I was reading the Lord began to show me how He is a detailed God and letting me see a little bit more about Him. Did you know that the Lord likes Almond flowers? Those are the flowers He chose to make His lampstand out of. Did you know that He likes acacia wood? Thats the type of wood He chose to make the table out of. He likes blues, purples, scarlet and finely twisted linen. He could have chosen any colors to be royalty colors but He liked for those colors to be royal. He wanted the finest craftsman's to make his curtains. He wanted things to be lined with gold, for things to be set in just the right spot in just the right way. Now to think, we are His tabernacles. That He has fashioned us in such a way that every little detail is just as He wants it. Then to think how I take my body for granted and treat it like it's a trash can when its actual royalty, when its actually His craftsmanship, when actually my body is the home for the HOLY sprit and its to represent a Holy God.
How sweet is God to begin to show me how to look through the magnified glass lens on my life. How to look for the almond flowers, the acacia wood, to pay attention to colors, to individual items and to give thanks then in return He gives joy! Though I may say Lord thank you for my clothes may I not forget to say thank you for the laundry machine that cleans them for me, the dryer that dries them for me, the laundry soap and dryer sheets that I am able to buy, the laundry basket that I am able to put my clothes in and the hangers I have to hang the clothes on and then the chest of drawers I am able to store them in. How one thing I use to give thanks for has now turned into eight things I give God thanks for!
thank you's:
128.farms
129.pine trees
130. grass
131. hot bathes
132.cattle
133. durt roads
134. people who enjoy working on the farm
135. a map
136. hot chocolate
137. tea kettle
138. sun rises
139. almond flowers
140. seasons-winter, spring, summer, fall
141. the sound of cows mooing
142. lady bugs
143. hammocks
oh how i loved every bit of this post! how you point me to Him!! you are precious and i love you.
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