WELL-WATERED GARDEN
The LORD will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail. Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins and will raise up the age-old foundations; you will be called Repairer of Broken Walls, Restorer of Streets with Dwellings” (Isaiah 58:11-12).
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In the last few months, we’ve all had to submit and let go of expectations. Canceled plans, postponed celebrations. For me, setting restorative, life-giving rituals have been so important.
Part of my daily routine is to ensure I get some “me” time with a workout, run or walk. Even pre-quarantine, physical movement is a must for my sanity. I know I can speak for my husband when I say he fully supports me getting this alone time. I get a little cranky if I don’t do something active every day. He knows our household will be a happier place if mama goes for a quick run! 😊
I’m in love with those endorphins, but really, workouts and runs are when I often hear from my Heavenly Father and Friend. I’ll be running to either a worship song, Lady Antebellum or some Beyonce (I’m all over the place, I know), and I’ll hear Him speak so clearly I stop in my tracks.
I believe God created physical movements to be a spiritual experience. Rebekah Lyon’s latest book, Rhythms of Renewal, explains how vital physicality was to Jesus. Jesus walked over 3,000 miles in just three years of His ministry. “When Jesus said follow me, He meant to put on your actual sandals and walk next to me.”
In the “Restore” section of her book, Rebekah also talks about how society has us in this wear-down cycle. I feel like all of us can attest to how worn-down we feel in today’s sun-scorched land of varying opinions, theories, and ideas. Instead of focusing on who is right or wrong, love should abound, with knowledge and discernment. As the devotional writer, Mikella @chasingsacred, recently described, “The truth is Jesus. The truth is the cross and the Gospel. During this time, we can’t take everything at face value. The information we hear won’t save us. Instead, knowing the TRUTH of who our Savior is today, tomorrow, and for eternity, will save us.”
What are you doing to come back to life this season? Maybe it’s turning off the news or unfollowing accounts on social media that make you feel icky. As our “new normal” begins, what rhythms do you promise to keep in your life?
Taking time to restore doesn’t mean we’ve stopped living … it means we get to begin living, with clear eyes and a sound mind. I hope that after all this, we live the way God longs for us to live.