Relief From Weariness - Carol Harrison

Weariness follows me like a lost puppy dog more often than I like to admit, causing discouragement to grab hold and scare away the words and the confidence of hearing God's voice correctly. Life overwhelms me when busyness pulls in too many directions at once or tough times try to obliterate joy, peace, and light. Sometimes the worn out feeling makes me long to pull the covers over my head so I do not have to face whatever the day might bring. At times like this I long to be refreshed over and over again, more than at other times in my life.

Looking at this month's prompt forced me to take a long, hard deep inside myself to find out what helps me be refreshed. It should be easy, shouldn't it, to know what refreshes me and helps me keep going? Yet, in the midst of being worn out and pulled in many directions, I forget to pause and take seriously God's command, which I have written on a card on my desk, "Be still and know that I am God." Psalm 46:10a.

The self-examination yielded a few key elements for refreshment and renewal.

Music, the old hymns especially, refresh me and always have from the time of my childhood until now. When I remember to be still, to pause, to have a time of refreshing, I allow the melody of songs to wash over me and the words to move me towards a focus on God. The combination of words and music speaks deep into my heart.

With my hearing aids blue-toothed to my phone, I can listen to music with no distractions. The last time I had to stay in the hospital and self-pity came to call, I took my phone, found a two-hour worship video on YouTube, popped in my hearing aids and listened without disturbing anyone else. I lay on my hospital bed with eyes closed, quietly worshiping God until self-pity slunk from the room.

Water also relaxes me and brings a time of refreshment into my life. I love being at a lake with the waves gently lapping against the shore and pine trees in the background. A bonus includes the call of the loon and the display of God's artistry in  spectacular sunrises or sunsets. Since I rarely have the opportunity to visit a lake and in winter ice covers the soothing water, I have several photos by my desk of these peaceful scenes to remind me of the beauty of God's creation.

Even waterfalls, especially trickling down the side of a mountain,  white water rapids, or rivers give me a sense of refreshing with the sound of the rushing water. These times near water remind me that Jesus is the Living Water - powerful, cleansing, and restorative.

 

Reading has been another means for refreshing my spirit. Sometimes when I have trouble concentrating and words don't flow onto the page, or life's tough moments threaten to overwhelm, I retreat into a book. I pick a fiction book, some light reading, and lose myself from the daily grind. I escape my own reality and live vicariously through someone else's adventures. The end result leaves me feeling like I have experienced a mini vacation.

As wonderfully refreshing as music, water, and reading are to me, I need time to be still in God's presence and look into His Word to totally soothe, refresh, and restore the broken bits of life that prohibit creative juices and strain relationships. I look at promises such as Isaiah 43:1-3a "But now this is what the Lord says- he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: "Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name, you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. For I am the Lord, your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Saviour;"

God knows all about me, including my name. He sees my weariness. He hears my cries. He knows my desire to listen to His still, small voice and follow where He leads. He refreshes my soul and restores peace in the middle of this crazy, busy life.









Carol Harrison lives, writes, and tells stories from her home in Saskatoon where she lives with her husband, Brian. She has two published books and a number of published short stories, poems and articles. She loves to encourage others so they can find glimmers of hope and glimpses of joy.