I am in the process of moving. I know you have been there before. You realize that you have to start packing up your things. You prepare for where you are headed next. You start thinking about what you want to take with you and what you can be rid of. You carefully pack up things that are most valuable, and you quickly toss away other things into boxes. Also, you have to label what goes where, and you spend a lot of time wondering how to load everything up for it’s next destination.

            Moving can be very stressful, but it is a necessary step in getting you where you need to be. God wants to move in our lives. He knows where to take you. He knows where you need to be. However, you have to do some packing. You have to decide what you are willing to get rid of for your next move. Some things need to be kept and some things need to be left in the past. God is also moving in your heart. Are you willing to let God do his work? Will you let God handle your heavy load and all the stuff you carry with you? Let God move you.

Our baby boy recently started feeding himself. It’s a delight to watch him pick up food and nibble his way through a meal. It’s a milestone in his life that we are proud to share in. However, he does not know what food he can and cannot eat. He does not know what size he can chew and what size he can choke on. Today, he had a tray full of small sliced apple pieces that I made for him. He was doing well eating those until I sat down with my bowl of chili. He looked at that and wanted what I had. He stopped eating what was prepared for him wanting what he could not have. He could not handle spicy chili with all the toppings, but yet he thought he wanted it.

God’s knows what we can handle and what we cannot. He knows whether we can have a whole lot or just very little. He knows what we are ready for and what we are not. Are you willing to let God determine that for you, or will you risk chasing after what you are not ready for? Be content. Follow the Father’s plan for your life. Remember the words of  1 Timothy 6:6 “ But godliness with contentment is great gain.”

 Draw me close to you, Lord. This is my prayer. As Christians, we can be close to the Lord because of Jesus.  He bridged the gap caused by our daily sin that separates us.  However, we have a part in all of this. Do you want to be close to God? What keeps you from feeling that way? His presence is ever there. We simply need to acknowledge it. His desire for you is constant. We must simply share in it. God’s love for you is endless. We must simply accept it.

                Remember the old wise phrase “if you feel far from God, who moved?” I am mindful of this today. I do not want to move myself farther and farther away from God through my own selfish thoughts and ways. I don’t want to place my will above God’s will and have that leave me feeling distant and empty. So, Lord help me to want to be, try to be, and live to be closer to you. In doing so, you will make yourself known over and over again in my life in ways that I cannot even imagine. That’s your greatness, Lord! I acknowledge it today. Help me to “seek first the kingdom of God” and trust your words from James 4:8 “Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you.” Likewise, help me to cleanse my hands, purify my heart, and my mind for you. Amen.

We all have problems. However, problems can always use a dose of perspective. Here’s a powerful video showing how small some problems really are.

Genesis 2:2-3 says “By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work.  Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done.” God rested? So, God does not expect you to go without it either! Are you trying to do too much? Are you racing through life with no time for yourself? Surely, that must be selfish of you to want rest? You tell yourself that taking time for rest will set you back or leave something undone. There are others depending on you. There is much to do and so little time to do it. You know the world does not revolve around you, but it sure feels like it. Keep thinking this way, and you will crash. You simply cannot give any more when you are empty. You cannot be your best without rest.

            So what kind of rest do you need? Are you in need of physical rest? Take it. Are you in need of emotional rest? Seek it. Are you in need of spiritual rest? Find it. Eternal rest is promised in Heaven for those who have Jesus as Lord and savior. In the meantime, know the benefit of rest. Quit trying to be something you are not designed to be. We all run out of time, energy, passion, strength and desire. Give yourself rest so that you may be renewed! Remember the promise given to us in Isaiah 40: 29-31” He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.”