R E S T and simplicity.
Two words.
Rest.
Keep it simple.
Rest in God.
Remember what truly matters.
Rest in who He is.
Remember whose you are.
Rest in who He says you are.
Don’t try and figure it all out.
Rest in faith.
Stay steadfast in hope.
Rest in His love.
Allow love to move you.
Rest in the beautiful simplicity of His presence.
Cherish the small moments and small things.
I am currently in month 8 of this journey. I am tired, I am homesick, I am worn. But God is bringing much peace to my heart as He is calling me to rest and keep it simple. It’s honestly the strongest conviction I have felt thus far on this journey…to rest and keep things simple.
Why you may ask? Because rest doesn’t have to look like 24/7 sleep or laziness. Rest is simply trusting God for it all and clinging to Him. Climbing up into His lap and saying, it’s all for you, all about you, and all only possible with you. And remaining simple minded doesn’t mean never going deep, it means relying on His love as everything and allowing it to guide your life. He loves us and that’s that! He loves people and we need to as well. He asks us to do small things with His great love and He will change the world with it.
We get to play a small part in a great story and we get to rest under His greatness throughout it all.
Right now, I am doing the very thing ( R E S T ) that prior to this journey, was the most beneficial ingredient to my growth- resting in Jesus.
Before the Race I rested in Him all the time and on the Race I have as well, but there have been many moments where I have felt guilty to rest. I have felt like I may miss something or someone. But He says in a sweet whisper, “stay in the meadow of peace that I have for you and soak in me…it’s your job for the rest of the race and see what comes from it!”
The Race is cool and all but the really cool thing is how God takes things that seem grand and immaculate and brings you back to the simple things to impact you the most. For all you future racers, this journey is hard. It’s hard to be away from home for a year, it’s hard to not have traditional comforts, and it’s hard to be around people all the time. But…through my love/hate relationship with the Race, I have discovered that the simple things are truly the greatest. That the things we once never cherished before this journey are the sweetest. Dinners with parents. Driving. Walks in nature. Visits to grandmas house. Serving. Loving. It all. All the little moments.
The days are long most of the time but the weeks fly by. I am finding what it means to really rest more in God. To not feel guilty for wanting time with Him and away from people. Resting in who He made me and the things He created for me to love. I am discovering that He is so strong within His children that we never have to fear missing things but rather we can trust in His spirit to nudge us…and keep asking for obedience.
I strongly feel God calling me home after this journey, mostly to minister to my family and to revel in a simple life of love and devotion. I don’t know all the next steps but I know and feel peace about keeping it simple and settling down. I don’t feel bad for this. I use to but I don’t now.
I also strongly feel Him asking me to remember how simple acts change the world and with 3 more months to go, these simple acts of kindness and love will do more than I can see.
He knows us. He created us. He sees the whole story. And He wants us to remember how precious love is and how beautifully simple it remains.
He wants us to rest in the very thing He died for…the love He has to lavish on us and the world.
Cheers to being honest and feeling free! Running this race with Jesus!
-V
P.S. Check out Hebrews 12:22-25 ??
