How To Find Rest During This Holiday Season

It’s the most wonderful time of the year! Did you read that sentence or sing that sentence? I SANG IT! Yes it’s the holiday season and I am enjoying spending time with my family, spending time with spiritual family, and gathering all of the memory stones from this past year. Because of these things, sometimes the most wonderful time of the year becomes one of the most hectic times of the year. During all the busyness, I sometimes forget to set aside time for rest and quality time with Papa!

There’s nothing like being in that home environment. I’ve repeated the homecoming scene many times over the years. I walk into my house with anticipation. There’s no fear of being rejected or ignored; I know I’m loved in this place. Now I want you to imagine being invited into God’s living room-not for a formal gathering, but just to be with Him. You walk down the hallway with anticipation. You step through the doorway to find welcoming smiles and outstretched arms reaching to embrace you. He is showing His pleasure in you. This holiday season, I want to encourage you to come home and find your REST.

 

YOU WERE MADE FOR REST

We were created to find rest in Papa God. A lot of us find ourselves in a constant cycle of restlessness, especially during the holiday season. However, when there is a habitation instead of a visitation, restlessness gives way to the shalom of God. The peace that passes all understand is something to be grateful for and can be attained. In Psalms 23, you are reminded that you were created for rest and created to be with the Father. Do not fall into restlessness, stay within the understanding of your Identity. You are a child of God, in whom He is well pleased. Psalm 23 also changes your attitude into gratitude. There is so much power in Gratitude!

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THE POWER OF REST AND GRATITUDE

The enemy loves to find you fatigued and tired because that is when you are most defenseless. From one of our latest blog posts we know how to receive and rest. But another powerful way to find your rest is through an attitude of gratitude. Gratitude is our emotion that relates to our ability to feel and express thankfulness and appreciation. That’s why for me gathering memory stones during this time of the year is so important! It stirs up my gratitude for what God has done for me and I never have a moment of discomfort in a busy season. Gratitude has the power to heal marriages, restore sons and daughters to fathers and mothers, and make way for the rest and peace of God.

TAKEAWAY

I want to encourage you to take some time today and spend it in Papa’s living room. Start with a spirit of gratitude and watch your restlessness fall away. Begin to declare that which you are thankful for. Speak those things out or write them down. Take some time to enter into rest in the living room of God. Perhaps that looks like climbing up into His lap; perhaps it looks like a meal or sharing stories. Taking time to visualize this connection is a powerful way to recalibrate your rest.

For those of you entering into a holiday season full of restlessness, I hope this helps you find rest – His peace is available to you right now.

I invite you to share about your experience in Papa’s living room and share about the rest you are finding – please share in the comments!