People people 😀
I am in my fourth month and as you can tell, the Lord is blowing my mind. One thing that has been on my heart is thankfulness and gratitude. God has been doing so much in me and through me, and it has been weighing on my heart to acknowledge Him lately. Last month, I was getting so caught up with the “supernatural” and with leading my team that I wasn’t acknowledging Him and His work. I was so concerned with where I was going and wasn’t “smelling the roses” along the way.
One day, He called me to rest. He told me to avoid any manual labor for the day, to ignore the opinions of others, to not be afraid of appearing “weak” or “lazy,” and to just rest and enjoy the day. My friend Hayden accompanied me on this day of rest, and it was one of the best days I have had on the race. We didn’t go anywhere or do anything special, we just were. We laid down and watched the clouds roll by. We talked about the Lord and revealed our hearts to each other. We laughed and were silly. We sat on a wall by the road and smiled at Hondurans who walked by. We goofed around with my camera and enjoyed each other. She taught me how to skip a rock and I learned that if you suck pistachios you get so much more flavor out than just getting part of it when you only eat the inside. We watched the sunset and told each other secrets. It was so SIMPLE.
(This is my water bottle, sitting in a hole that was on the wall, and it fit perfectly. It was a cupholder in the stone wall! I know that sounds silly, but I was so thankful! I was so thankful that I noticed it and that it brightened my day that much more. It breathed life into me because I slowed down to notice it).
That list isn’t epic. We didn’t go to the dump and minister to people. We didn’t perform some miraculous healing. It was simple. It was lovely. We just existed and enjoyed the Lord’s tiny blessings. We RESTED.
I wrote this on March 20 before I went to sleep that night…
“Today’s all day date with Haylo was a blessing to my spirit. I can just be, and you love me. You are bringing me back to the little things. It is possible to walk in the supernatural and appreciate the little things. Please bring me back to simplicity. Help me find rest and find my “oxygen.” I feel like I am on a fast track in the supernatural spiritual stuff, but then you are calling me to rest. Lord, I want to soak it all in, I want to notice your creation and beauty. Give me watchful eyes so I can see you in the simplest things…Teach me how to just sit, to just be, and enjoy moments and be able to capture the skies and the views.”
Hay gave me a helpful analogy: “Britt, you are a light, but it’s not good for electricity to always be on. It’s annoying to come into a room and have a light on all the time. It will BURN OUT and LOSE POWER. Turn it off once in a while.”
That is so true.
People, we need to slow down. Breathe. Soak it in. Acknowledge the little things. Thank your Father for them. Stop sprinting and striving. Just sit every now and then and soak up His love. You can’t do anything to get more of it. You can’t do anything to lose it.
Hayden and I came up with a way to put this into action on a daily basis. Life gets crazy and we cant always just take a day off and rest. That was a blessing that He gave us, but that’s not normal. But, you can find little ways to just CHILL. I have to give her the credit, it was her idea, but we combined our two favorite numbers, 10 and 23, and set alarms on our watches. At 10:23 everyday, my alarm goes off. No matter where I am or what I am doing, I pause, and breathe. I play the thankful game and acknowledge the things around me whether it’s His beautiful creation, little silly things, or more intimate things. I thank my Provider for what He has given me and what He is doing in me. I acknowledge His work and His love and His favor. It keeps me breathing. It keeps me from going under. It settles me and calms me down. It also convicts me if I am in a bad mood or if I am being ungrateful. I have discovered that thankfulness has the power to change an atmosphere! It quiets the voice of the enemy.
10:23
So, for those of you who are following me closely, I thought it would be cool if you set your alarm for 10:23 too. Our spirits could be connected despite the fact that it is night over here and day over there. Despite the thousands of miles and seas that separate us, we could pause and give just a small amount of our time to the Lord, and come together as one and thank our DAD!
That is my challenge and my request to you. Imagine if everyone paused at least once during the day and acknowledged their Creator with an attitude of thankfulness and humility. This is just one tiny thing that God has been revealing to me recently on the race, but I believe that fruit will come and that thankfulness will transform my faith and my perspective.
I have to give a shout out to Haylo. Miss you. Proud of you. Thanks for speaking truth into me and introducing the 10:23 idea. You are a gift. See you soon enough when you return. Nothing but good things await you. “Those who are willing and obedient will get to experience the goodness of the promised land” Love ya, its gross.
Love you ALL. Lets make 10:23 start trending… 😉
