Over the past few weeks, I have felt exhausted…spiritually, mentally, physically & emotionally. I felt like this at training camp and though the atmostphere did revive me a bit, there has been a weariness that has remained with me. The truth is, I've been making no time for rest & my priorities have been skewed. I've been working literally non-stop since March – two jobs, 60+ hours, 7 days a week. Sunday, the 19th of June, was literally my first day off – not working at all in two months (not including my week at training camp, b/c that really doesn't count as "time off").
I'm not sharing this to evoke pity or any feelings of sympathy. I'm sharing this because I'm learning some big life lessons the hard way and this is the context in which I'm learning them.
#1-Take Care of Yourself Spiritually.
"Don't let what God's called you to do distract you from what God's called you to do."
Spiritual wellness is of the first & utmost importance. To quote CS Lewis, "You don't have a soul. You are a soul. You have a body." It is crucial to be spending time alone with God…praying, worshipping, and diving into the Word. Do it & do it often. We're in a war & the enemy is going come at you from all directions when you're pursuing God. I've personally felt this a lot recently – especially since I've been home from training camp. Spiritual attacks have been flying at me in all directions. Know & reside in the fact that who you are & what you're doing is found in Christ. Although I've been pursuing His calling, I'd been neglecting my relationship with Him. Over the past few months, I hadn't been getting into the Word, spending time with God or my church family like I needed to/wanted to be. I'd fallen away from keeping God & people my priority because over the past few months, work had been my priority. I felt so far from God & I was hating it. When opposition & temptation came my way, I failed miserably. I was hardly prepared for the spiritual battle I've been facing – which ties into the other lessons I've been learning…
#2-Be prepared!
This is crucial. I got such a fresh revelation of this last Monday night. Just read this passage & ask God to reveal to you the depth, the weight & how relative these Words are to you right now. There is so much truth here. Soak it up & get it in your spirit! Muy importante! Don't be caught up in a war unprepared. You've got everything you need. Use it. Be prepared!
– – > Ephesians 6:10-18 MSG, NKJV – I love reading verses in different translations & verions.
#3-Trust God!
It's basic. It's true. Just do it!
This is more of a command than a lesson, but it's something that I am constantly having to remind myself to do. My flesh, naturally sinful & full of pride, wants to rely completely on myself. Part of the reason I have been over working myself & stressing out is that I haven't been trusting God to provide for this trip. Working hard to do what God is calling you to do is one thing. Pushing everything (including Him) aside to pursue financial stability/security to do the things He's called you to is quite another. Trusting God is a day by day, minute by minute decision for me, but it's something that has to be done. I cannot stress it's importance enough. Get your mind off logistics, quite counting up the dollars & just focus on God…He is good & will provide your needs – to think or rely otherwise is to doubt Him.
#4-Rest
This key verb goes into all aspects – spiritual, mental, physical & emotional.
Sometimes you just need to rest in God. Sit & be still in our Maker's precense and know that He is good. Take some time to rest in Him & just listen. Sometimes I don't even realize I'm not listening for God. I'm too busy unloading all my problems and "prayer requests." Don't get me wrong, although God already knows what we're coming to him with, he still wants us to come to Him with our needs. I've just been leaving it at that. Take time and listen for His voice. It's not always going to be an audible one, but He desires to commune with us. Prayer is not a one way conversation.
Also, your body & mind need taking care of & rest too! I'll make this short & simple.
Take care of your body. Be good to it. Make it a priority to get sleep when you need to. Exercise, eat healthy, rest & all that good stuff. These are things I still struggle doing. But like I said….I'm learning.
Note: This is in no way an exhaustive list of life lessons or even everything I've been learning the past couple months, just a few thoughts on what I'm going through & learning that I wanted to share with you beautiful people! 🙂
4 WEEKS TILL LAUNCH!
Great points here, Ashley! You’re going to get a taste of every kind of rest you can imagine while you’re gone but you’re absolutely right in that it’s extremely important to just make sure you’re resting in God (even when you don’t think you’re resting). Something I told myself a lot while I was gone was, “Trust n go.” It’s a good, quick way to pump yourself up to, say, jump off a 50 ft cliff in the Philippines or just ease your mind if you’re worried about something. I bet it will come in handy for you, too! Thanks for the great post, though! Let me know what I can do to help you get prepared. I’ve got some equipment you’re welcome to use if you’re not already packed up!