{"id":7118,"date":"2020-09-03T11:29:42","date_gmt":"2020-09-03T16:29:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/discipleship\/?p=7118"},"modified":"2020-09-10T10:19:07","modified_gmt":"2020-09-10T15:19:07","slug":"rest-for-your-soul","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/discipleship\/2020\/09\/03\/rest-for-your-soul\/","title":{"rendered":"Rest For Your Soul"},"content":{"rendered":"
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We are a weary world. For many of you, 2020 has felt like a massive weight on your shoulders. Things appear to be spinning out of control. We\u2019ve experienced a global pandemic, epic disruptions to our so-called normal lives, quarantines, illness, loss, financial struggle, fear, anxiety, discord and division, and apprehension about the future.<\/p>\n

I experienced the devastating loss of my father after a 45-day battle with COVID-19 just a few months ago. Most of my family fought illness during this time as well. My husband and I both were navigating working full-time from home and virtually schooling our children. My days were full of waiting for phone calls from doctors and reports from nurses and a whole lot of waiting while we couldn\u2019t be with my dad. He received his ultimate healing in heaven. He was 63 years old and healthy, not part of the \u201cat-risk\u201d population for this virus. Our hearts are shattered, and I\u2019ve waded through the muddy waters of grief this summer. I am figuring out how to walk this journey of loss and be available for my children who are grieving as well. I am also adapting to a different education model for my children this school year. And I am assessing how to lead and minister to women during these unprecedented times. My schedule has never looked so empty and free, yet this is possibly the weariest and most overwhelmed I\u2019ve felt.<\/p>\n

While my circumstances and suffering may look different than yours, I know many of you feel this same overwhelming struggle. So why do we feel so worn down when we have less on our calendar? Perhaps we are looking for our rest and rejuvenation in all the wrong places. How much time do we spend thinking on our circumstances, burying our heads in the sand, scrolling social media, getting riled up by politics, or always discussing woes with others?<\/p>\n

I believe with my whole heart that the Lord gives us great grace for our journey through difficult times, but I have also found great practical wisdom in this well-known passage of scripture in recent days:<\/p>\n

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\u201cCome to Me, all you who labor and are heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.\u201d Matthew 11:28-30<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Here are the three lessons I\u2019m clinging to from this passage:<\/p>\n