Tag: rest

Remember and Rest,Friends 

- dannalundstrom

I started my first seminary class last night. I have to say I felt slightly displaced as one who thrives on application among the academics. It is no surprise that the things that stuck with me the most were the points that immediately spoke and applied to my heart. 

Our teacher told a story about a young boy who would always wear his underwear, otherwise know as under britches (lol), backward. His dad would always say, son, turn your under britches around. Time and again they would be on backward, so the dad finally asked the child, “why do you wear your under britches backward? The young boy replied, “Dad, I want to see the big picture.” The big picture was Spiderman and all his friends.  

I have been thinking about that, and how we have so much going on in our lives that we sometimes can get so bogged down in every detail that we miss the bigger picture.

The ultimate picture is this; there are so many things of this world that I see and do not understand. There is suffering, there are tragedies and illnesses that break my heart, and I am tempted to ask, why God? Why do you allow all this? I have been diligently practicing before I ever get to the why to remember the Who.

The bigger picture often alludes us, and we see the fallen, the evil, the travesties. Thankfully, though, we have a sovereign God who sees, knows and controls everything. It would strike us as insane that He would send His only son to die for someone else, but He did because He crafted the bigger plan far in advance. God promises His picture will prosper us (Jeremiah 29:11). He promises a bigger picture that will ultimately be for the good of those who love Him (Romans 8:28).

We must not get weighed down in all the little details of daily life, friends. If we pick apart ever issue we don’t agree with or understand, life will become very laborious quickly. I know it is tempting. We are passionate people who seek clarity, but we must not let our pursuits and passions overshadow our purpose. John 6:29 says, Jesus told them, “This is the only work God wants from you: Believe in the one He has sent.”

Will you believe in Him? Will you remember there is a bigger picture that requires faith to sustain us? It will take effort, and it will not be efficient, but effective, Yes! You will have to fight, but you will find freedom! You will forget and struggle to realize, but you will learn to surrender and rest.  

I am praying for you, as I ask for myself to resist the temptation to focus so much on the trees that I forget to there is a big, beautiful and mighty forest above and around all those trees.  
There is a loving God who has His hand on every minor and major detail of our lives. 

 Remember, friends. Remember and rest.

Faith,Not Feats

- dannalundstrom 1 Comment

3eec0d24125490b3a8f2123ff53708b0I am not good enough. I will never be good enough. I could never be a Christian because I can not get my act together to qualify. If you ever find yourself thinking these thoughts, you are right about all except the last one. You, NOR I will never be adequate, but Jesus was enough on our behalf. Being good enough is not and never was up to us. WE are perfectly acceptable and accepted as we are because He was and is sufficient, and He completed us by imparting His righteousness to us as a gift that we receive by believing. We are justified by faith, not feats. I hope you rest easy tonight knowing you are enough, friend! You are loved!

Are You Running a Marathon or a Sprint

- dannalundstrom

Psalm 66:16 says, come and listen all you who fear God, and I will tell you all He did for me.
We need to be encouraging one another with our experiences with The Lord and with His word.  The beauty of God’s word is how it imprints our hearts and ministers to us in our times of need. 
The truth is, whether we are running life as a marathon, renewing and committing ourselves to God daily or running as a sprint under our authority and sufficiency; both are challenging.    What the first gives us that the latter does not is perseverance and the ability to reflect the character of our Savior not the chaos of our situations.  We can fall in all the pot holes along the race, only to rise, dust ourselves off and keep running. 

When we are right with God, the circumstances and conditions of our race do not define us, but they depict Who lives inside of us.  I would much rather be eternally equipped for the marathon of life, than dependent on myself or someone other than Jesus, to run this race with me. 

When I fail to present myself consistently before The Father, renewing my mind daily, life gets messier than usual.  

Are you pacing yourself for the marathon or sprinting towards the next check off the list?  I often need to remembered , repent and rest.

Rest Before You Run

- dannalundstrom

Sometimes I reach and run before I rest. Have you ever watched a relay team run? As one runner is getting close to the next member to pass off the baton, he starts running a little as he is reaching his hand to grab the baton to begin his leg of the race. If the runner is not careful to rest his hand a moment on the baton, he will miss it. Sometimes I am like a relay runner, I reach and begin running, but I do not rest my hand long enough to securely grab what is about to be handed to me. As I wait expectantly on The Lord to direct my steps, it is often tempting to begin running before He has given me the “baton.” I am prone to run ahead of Him, and when I do, my path is forged by my plan not His purpose. Why is rest so hard? As He controls our steps, so does He command our stops. I am much more comfortable with the steps, but am learning the value of a sovereign stop. When I am busy, I cannot hear clearly. My listening is distracted and directions, if I hear them, are not clear to me. I do nothing well that I have not first paused to fix my eyes and attention on first. If I do not rest my hand on what God is giving me long enough to confidently grab hold, I can not run my leg of the race and finish well. What are you running ahead of today? Where do you need to take a step back and rest quietly as you wait on the “baton?” God isn’t going to make us miss His race. The danger is that we will run ahead of Him and miss it ourselves. Remember today, friend, rest must always precede running.

The Good News

- dannalundstrom

You may have a prodigal child, be in the middle of a messy divorce, enduring anxiety or suffering from a deep depression because life is just not going as planned.  The good news is, it is still possible to hear your Father say; job well done daughter/son.  He loves you that much!

Why Lord, Why?

- dannalundstrom

26d6a9d455174cae4181336c7f66df17Time and again I ask the Lord, why Lord, why?  In his gentleness, he answers, because my child, I love you, and I know you do not understand, but I do.

We do not have to figure it all out, friends.  Steady scrutinizing lends unstable souls; while restful residence under the shady sovereignty of God brings a peaceful silence to our searching hearts.  Because He knows, we do not have to.  Because He loves us, we can trust as children that He is holding our best securely in His sacred hands.

If you find yourself searching for answers today, dear one, remember Deuteronomy 29:29~ The Lord our God has secrets known to no one.  We are not accountable for them.  And when you feel the uneasiness of uncertainty knocking at your door, invite in the assuring promise The Lord has given us in Jeremiah 29:11~ For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.

You are loved.

The Gospel, A Matter of Life

- dannalundstrom

One of my biggest challenges is not residing in my identity as an adored daughter, but resting in my reality as an accepted sinner.  The deeper my intimacy with Jesus grows, so do the clarity of my flaws.

The depravity of my heart is why the good news of the gospel is a matter of life. Yesterday our pastor quoted one of my favorite Tim Keller quotes.

” The gospel is this: We are more sinful and flawed in ourselves than we ever dared believe, yet at the very same time we are more loved and accepted in Jesus Christ than we ever dared hope.”

So often I forget what I know and find that I am not living out of the freedom of the gospel, but out of the fear of failing an idol (self) that says I matter more than God?  Where I am seeking approval from is a crucial question I have to ask myself daily.  

Where are you living from today, friends; under the exemption of Christ’s yoke or the enslavement of your own? On this day of celebrating labor, I pray we may all embrace liberty.  Matthew 11:28-29 ~ Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you.  Let me teach you because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

You are loved today just as you are.

A Place That Makes Your Heart Sing

- dannalundstrom

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The Holy Spirit reminded me again yesterday; the second time in a few months, that too often I get lost living for the completion of my schedule instead of the care of my soul.  The difference in the two is one of panic versus peace, calm versus chaos and rush versus rest. As I am practicing this myself, my prayer for you today, friend, is that you may take some time to LIVE, not from a planner but from a place; a place that makes your heart sing.  You are loved.

Not Your Faults but His Forgivness

- dannalundstrom


Psst! You do not have to be perfect today, tomorrow or ever. It isn’t even possible. The more you recognize your shortcomings, the more you are growing in the grace of your Savior. Your freedom has nothing to do with your faults, but everything to do with His forgiveness!! May you find rest in that today, friends.

Resign and Rest Today

- dannalundstrom

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Hey fretting friend.  Resign from your post today and rest here.

Psalm 119:42~I trust in your word.  

What peaceful lives we would lead if we believed this word every moment of ever day.  It is easy to apply this to parts of our lives, but other areas like our children, our security, our health and our provisions pose a threat to our faith.

God’s word is not meant to be picked and chosen to fit only our comfort zones.  

It is intended to stretch far beyond those seemingly safe spheres and cover every area of occupation.   The degree to which we surrender to an unwavering belief in undesirable places, otherwise known as faith, is directionally proportional to our breadth of peace.  

Do we believe when it is counterintuitive or just when it is convenient? 

It’s ok.  Me, too.  Life is a series of remembering God’s promises, repenting of our unbelief and returning to His shelter.  We are continually under construction, and that is not only ok, but it is also normal! ‪#‎selfiesermon‬ ‪#‎surrender‬ ‪#‎mychildrenhaveaSavioranditisnotme‬

Happy freedom Friday!