When You Are Tired

One day my daughter sent her then five-year-old daughter to bring her something, don't recall what it was now, from the bedroom. Jen set off obediently then suddenly stopped and turned around.

"I'm tired," she declared, and came and sat down.

This unexpected response had me and her mother laughing.

We knew Jen wasn't tired. A five-year-old's energy supply doesn't get depleted that quickly despite hours of running, climbing and bouncing about. But adults are different. Even athletes who appear to have superhuman form get tired and must rest. If they don't rest, they risk reducing their performance levels and may even suffer injury.

Adults, athletes, and five-year-olds are all human. We get tired. But how about God? Psalm 121 tells us, "He neither slumbers nor sleeps" (v 4). But Jesus, when He walked this earth, became tired and often called His disciples away from the crowds so they could rest.

Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest”(Mark 6 : 31).

He also taught,  “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls" (Matthew 11: 28 -29).

God knows there are times when we need more than physical rest. We need rest for our mind, our soul and our spirit. When we come to Jesus, He gives us exactly the kind of rest we need. It's restorative, refreshing and redeeming. Do you need rest today? Take some time to talk to Jesus about it. Believe me, He hears. 

I can't think of a better song of restoration than the 23rd Psalm. Here it is being sung by the church choir at Whitney Houston's funeral. Enjoy!

A Life Interrupted

This week I saw an old movie titled Girl Interrupted, starring Angelina Jolie and Whoopi Goldberg. As

the name implies, the movie deals with the life of a young woman mis-diagnosed with Borderline Personality disorder, and as a result, the course of her life was interrupted for a whole year.

In the movie, Susanna was coerced by a doctor and her her parents into allowing herself to be admitted to a mental institution. At first she balked at the idea and was scared of the loonies she was forced to share her life with. But gradually, they became her friends, and when an opportunity came for her to leave the institution, she refused. Later, she ran away, but returned.

This is what is so sad about a life being interrupted. We gradually adjust to our situation, become so comfortable with it that we no longer wish to escape. In my book Coming Out Of Egypt, the main characters, Marva and June, had their lives interrupted by their father's abuse. Marva, the older sister, became resigned to her situation until something happened to jolt her out of it, as it did with Susanna in the movie.

As I reflected on the movie, I wondered how many young people have had their lives interrupted as a result of circumstances beyond their control. If you are in a situation where your life, your dreams, your goals have been interrupted, I encourage you, do not lose heart. The keyword is "interrupted," not "ended." You are still alive, and so is God. He is a God of restoration, and He wants to restore you, if you would let Him.

Jeremiah 15: 19 says,  Therefore this is what the LORD says: “If you repent, I will restore you that you may serve me ..." 

In Joel 2: 25 He promises, "And I will restore to you the years that the locust hath eaten, the cankerworm, and the caterpiller, and the palmerworm, my great army which I sent among you. And I will restore to you the years that the locust hath eaten, the cankerworm, and the caterpiller, and the palmerworm, my great army which I sent among you. "

Don't give up. Cry out to the Lord today, and He will answer you.

 If you haven't yet ordered your copy of Coming Out Of Egypt you can do so by clicking this link: http://amzn.to/1V6us9m