And by stop, I mean literally – stop. Right where you are. Breathe deeply. Sit still. Listen.
Don’t tell me that you can’t. That you don’t have time. That you don’t know how. I am was the queen of can’t, don’t have time, and don’t know how to stop. I am have been the GO!GO!GO! girl. I’m not saying that I don’t empathize with your busy life and your long to-do list. Oh how I understand. I’m just saying that we don’t get to use those excuses anymore. Those excuses keep us stuck on the path of pain and frustration. It’s the path led by self, and its road takes us on a journey to emptiness.
The opposite of GO! is stop. This is what I have to do several times each day as I retrain my thought patterns and turn my heart away from self and toward God’s leading. The truth is that I must make time to stop because I don’t have time in my day to waste thinking anxious thoughts. I don’t have time in my day to worry. I don’t have time in my day to be frustrated over issues I have no control over.
But there are people to care for, jobs to do, meals to cook, bills to pay, and the never-ending to-do list to accomplish! Go! Get it done! We must plow through and work and keep saying yes to people and worrying about how to make it all happen!
NO. Stop.
We cannot do this without Jesus. Stop. Breathe. Pray. Every time you feel anxious. Every time you are afraid. Every time you feel inferior. Every time you feel like you’re not doing enough. Every time you have to make a decision. Every time. Stop. Breathe Jesus in. Ask the Spirit to guide you. Relax in His presence. Walk with Him. Accept His gift of peace.
Do you remember my post several months ago called Pull Up a Chair? Can I encourage you to go read it again? God has so much to teach us. His words are so rich. His voice is so powerful. His works sustain us. Nothing we do apart from Him accomplishes anything (John 15:5). We need Jesus for our daily survival and so that we can thrive while we serve.
While God continues to teach me and while I am recognizing that I still have so much to learn – I can not tell you how grateful I am that I am learning to stop frequently during the day to re-focus. I still work hard. I still accomplish everything God needs me to each day. In fact, I do believe I am more productive now than I have ever been before.
I stop so that I can seek Him. I stop so that I can learn. I stop so that I can hear truth. I stop so that I can go. Only now I am going in the direction God points – the road that leads to peace.
Tiffani says
Laura, thank you for being so open and honest with us! What you’re learning is something I need to be reminded of too!! God does have so much to say to us if we’d just STOP and listen.
Be blessed!
Tiffani
Brooke says
Amen!
Totally needed to read this this morning :)
Rebecca Johnson says
Be still and know that I am God is not a cliché, it is life.
Christina says
Have you ever been in church or just simply chatting with someone and it’s as if what they are saying is meant just for you? Like, the God of the Universe took time right then to speak through that person and get to the very core of your heart? Your words did that for me this morning…..He has used your willingness to be open and very honest to encourage and uplift. I praise Him for His loving ways of teaching and guiding us to be more like Christ.
May you be encouraged today!!! I am a 36 year old ”pleaser”, too, and it has just been the last year I have really been able to put my finger on what was ‘ wrong’….I can totally relate and empathize with everything you are saying, in fact, you have been able to put into words what I haven’t been able to..so thank you!
Jenny says
Just like Christina said (God spoke to me through you)and at just the right moment. Had I read it 10 min. earlier, I wouldn’t have thought much about it (in a personal way). But at that moment I was at my “overwhelmed” part of the day and it was a perfect comfort/reminder. Thank you.
Phyllis says
It’s the eternal Mary and Martha lesson, isn’t it? Hard for us women to find the balance the Lord wants us to find. But essential to our spiritual health.
Jackie says
This is a great reminder because it is so easy to get caught up in the to-do lists and tasks of the day.
Elizabeth says
Thank you, Laura for this post, I really needed to read this!
Birdie says
Beautiful Laura!! Thank you 8->.
Charlotte Moore says
I have enjoyed reading this series. I am sure most of us have learned from it.
Thanks!! BLESSINGS!!
Bethany says
Laura, thank you so much for this post. My husband works for the federal government and while his job requires him to keep working, he will not be paid until after the furlough ends. I am a stay at home mom, so his is our only income. This has caused a lot of stress and worry and I really needed to hear what you said. Thank you again and please pray for my family and all the others affected by the furlough.