Tag: rest

Pursuing Perfection is to Deny Jesus

- dannalundstrom

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Perfectionism.  We all chase it.  None of us will ever achieve it, but we often run ourselves into the ground trying.

Pursuing perfection is to deny what Jesus did for us.  

He died an excruciating death not only to save us from our sins but also to impart His perfect righteousness to us.  That means it is no secret we alone are inadequate.  It is inevitable that we will fail as a parent, friend, spouse…  Someone else will always do better that which we desire to do.

Why do we keep exhausting ourselves to obtain what has already been secured on our behalf?  God made no mistakes when He created you or me.  We all have different strengths and weaknesses.  We either believe in his plan and find peace or we deny His sovereignty and continue striving.

Father, I ask that you help your children embrace the gifts given to us.  When we accept who we were created to be and quit striving to be who we are not; we are free to find where our purpose intersects our passion, and it is then that we will impact the world; not in a perfect way but in your providential way.  Amen.

Rest

- dannalundstrom

Being a whole person can feel like being an overwhelmed person. Time is two sided. It can be swift, and it can be sluggish. On days when our to-do list, responsibilities, and commitments weigh heavy; time is more elusive than enjoyable.  May we be reminded to rest.  Busyness can be a form of escape.  Illuminate that in us which we are running from Lord.  Help us to pause long enough to respect the discomfort that dwells within our souls. We know being restless leads us to resolving and resolving to reaching for a remedy. This is dangerous behavior because it maximizes our sense of control and minimizes yours, God. With ourselves, our children, our spouses, and our families allow us to rest. For rest is not idleness; it is intelligence. Open our strained hands and slow our tired hearts, Father.  Remind us in each moment of panic, you are the Painter, and we are the children of Your picture.  May we abide in your authority, not our activity.  Amen.

Falling At the Feet of Jesus

- dannalundstrom

 

One of the most endearing things about our dog, Paisley, is a ritual she has had since the day we got her. She prances up to you and falls to her back in the most relaxed and vulnerable state of rest.
What we quickly learned is that Paisley does this entirely trusting a belly rub is in store for her. She has no doubt just complete confidence.
For a time, she would do this to everyone who entered our house. It became an idiosyncrasy that we always felt needed explanation. As someone walks in our door, having a puppy garner their attention only to fall at their feet in an utterly defenseless posture waiting for the one thing she desired the most. Well, ok, maybe second to treats, but who doesn’t love sweets!
After time passed and Paisley matured, she no longer greeted guests this way; only us. The people closest to her and that she was sure she could trust. You see, she learned to fear, and she experienced rejection and I would say she learned a bit of wisdom. Warm, welcoming hands are not found everywhere.
Her behavior has taught and continues to teach me a great lesson every day. Do I come humbly, fully expectant, entirely trusting, in a helpless, vulnerable posture and fall at the feet of Jesus every day waiting for the one thing I desire most? The one thing I cannot do for myself. The one thing that satisfies my soul. The one and the only thing that gives rest to my riddled heart. Maybe I do sometimes, but sometimes, even though I have learned fear and rejection, too, I still plant myself in susceptible situations expecting to find what I can only gain through One person-Jesus. The person who knows loves and protects me better than anyone. This is a lesson Paisley renews for me daily.
Sometimes the truth must fracture me before it frees me. I love the faithfulness of my Father to use every medium, even a small puppy, to teach me His character and what it means to be His daughter.

I Am Sorry

- dannalundstrom 2 Comments

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“Everyone knows that every week or two I am going to screw up.”

I was talking with a friend recently, and I felt the tremendous burden of this statement as the affliction of their heart was revealed.  It was a very sad moment for me, because what my friend truly did not grasp, is that every day I am going to screw up, too.  (Sorry, I hate that word, but to do justice to the burden they were carrying, I am staying true to the quote.)

We are all sinners. Me, you, your neighbor that “appears” to have it all together, your child, your spouse, and even your pastor.  If we are yoked to perfection, we are hopeless.  

What matters is not that “we screw up,” but that we repent and say I am sorry from a place of sincerity in our self and with an awareness of our neediness for a Savior.

I AM SORRY; three little, powerful words that will transform your life!

Isaiah 30:15 ~This is what The Sovereign Lord says: “In repentance and rest is your salvation.”

May you find freedom here today, friends.

Because Jesus

- dannalundstrom

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Because Jesus paid it all, we have nothing to prove.   Because He was perfectly adequate, we can be peacefully inadequate.   Because our righteousness comes only from Him we can rest.   Because He saved us, we can lay down our shame.   The world will crush us if that is what we are chasing.   Jesus will carry us if we cast our cares upon Him.   

Which One Will You Choose

- dannalundstrom

 

The world says be successful.  God says be still.

The world subsidizes an exhausting race.  God supplies eternal rest.

The world says climb up the ladder.  God says climb under my yoke.

The evil in our world produces panic.  God promises peace.

The world shames us with standards.  God shelters us with sufficiency.

Through the world, we seek approval.  Through God, we are shielded by acceptance.

The world whines we are entitled.  God whispers He is enough.

In this world, we will experience pain.  It is only through God that our pain will encounter purpose.

In this life, there will always be laughter, and there will always be tears.  We will struggle through hours of hardship and savor times of triumph.  In the end, all that matters is, did we choose the lies of the world or the love of God.

May we never forget, God created the world.   We must never let the world create God.

Jesus Holds Our Little Lambs

- dannalundstrom 3 Comments

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Yesterday was a difficult day for me as a mom. Some days our hardest job is remembering that God does not get it wrong-ever! In no circumstance is this a harder fight than circumstances involving our children. My son suffered a traumatic brain injury last July. His cognitive recovery has been a struggle. School is a struggle. Life is a struggle.

His neuropsychologist and case manager spoke with me about considering placing him on a life skills tract as opposed to a diploma/college track at school. He is in the ninth grade. The doctor said his cognitive scores place him within the category of a life skills track. These were very tough words to digest. I tried to put my best armor on and let the words bounce off of me, but the tears were tougher, and they won out.

The emotions are still raw from that tragic day. I think they always will be. A sight, a sound, a smell, a memory; they can all trigger a rush of emotion that no amount of effort can contain. My son is forever changed. I am forever changed. Our family is forever changed. This is not all ominous news. Change chiseled from crisis forges character, perseverance, deeper faith and so much more. The fruits born out of frustration are often some of the sweetest.

My son is not a victim, and I refuse to be either. Once we take on that role we put limitations on ourselves. We also maximize our sufficiency and minimize the soverignty of our Savior. I am sad that the circumstances are as they are. I hurt, I ache and at times I worry about the future. In all my fleshly responses, a voice keeps echoing in my head, BUT GOD. That is my life preserver friends! Test scores are indicators, but they are not dictators. Doctor’s opinions are assessments, but they are not absolutes. I much prefer the infallible provisions of My Provider to the fallible predictions of man.

I don’t know at this time what our decision about our sons’ school track will be. I am not ready to make that decision, nor am I ready to confine him to the limitations of a label. Labels we put on things are typically stickers. Over time, they are prone to fall off. I choose not to rely on labels, I prefer to rest in the hope of providential plans.

Yesterday I heard this quote from my friend, Julie Sparkman, of Restore Ministries. During the third session of her bible study series, Unhitching From the Crazy Train, she said, “Getting under the yoke with Jesus does not give you a different life; it gives you a different way of doing life.” Those words spoke so poignantly to my heart.

No matter what obstacles you or I are confronting today friends, our hope does not rest in the what of our struggle. It resides in the Who of our surrender. That is great news! This truth is a rest for our weary souls. Will you fight to reside here with me? Jesus holds our little lambs.

The Sights and Sounds of Rest

- dannalundstrom

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I open my eyes and it’s 8:00 AM. I squint a little harder, surely I must not see right? I walk out onto the balcony, life giving reading material and breakfast in hand. As I sit trying to read, nature keeps stealing my attention. There is a gentle, but commanding breeze that is stirring up a chorus among the trees. Their leaves swish and sway in a harmony that beacons a deep exhale.There is a lizard with a bright blue tail gingerly exploring the deck. The water is calm and flowing like silk. The air is cool and feels fresh and crisp as it dances around me. There are birds chirping, signaling the start of a new day. They chirp and pause, chirp and pause as if they are in deep, connected conversation.

These are the sights and sounds of rest. These are the sights and sounds of peace, telling me it’s time to unplug and step off of the treadmill of the daily grind, and rest. It seems like such an easy invitation, so why is it so hard? It feels so natural yet so incongruent. It’s inviting and it’s awkward at the same time. It’s seemingly effortless but it takes focused intention.

Why? Why is that four letter, little word, rest, so hard? For me, I don’t live in that place near as much as I would like to, yet it is what we were created for. Rest in our minds; rest in our hearts and rest in our realities. Some realities are hard to rest in, and in those spaces I find myself fighting, fighting to make life work. Fighting to see the expectations I have created come to be, rather than be shattered before my eyes. Fighting to understand the realities of those that don’t seem fair and surely don’t make sense. It’s here I have to remind myself that expectations are the thieves of souls, as much as trying to understand HE who I am only called to know and trust, not comprehend.

So as the trees are singing a song of rest, and the harmony and chorus of nature is beckoning me, I hear a faint summons in my soul, asking me to lay it down. Lay it all down, and rest. As I listen to that calming voice, I am reminded of one of my favorite verses that always provokes a deep breath and a sense of calm within me: For now we see only a reflection in a mirror, then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part, then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.~1 Corinthians 13:12. I am fully known, and I am fully loved-that is rest!

Still a Child

- dannalundstrom

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I have to be honest; there are days I find myself wishing I was not an adult.   Today is the perfect example.   I have a meeting that I am not looking forward to handling.   It is a continuously challenging situation that chides and chisels away at the depth of my joy if I am not attentive to it.

Like many days, I am fighting to choose the beauty of perspective.   Perspective is a priceless art.   It tells me that if this is the most difficult thing I encounter today, it will still be a pretty good day.

The reality of life is that some days responsibilities are heavy, and difficult situations arise that we have to navigate.   I catch myself thinking, how wonderful to be the child again and have an adult handle all the arduous assignments.   This morning God tenderly reminded me that I am still the child-His child.

As a believer, we never enter strenuous situations alone, and I am not called to figure it all out, just to rest and receive.   Whew is that hard! It seems illogical that rest should be so illusive, but we all know it to be, friends.   Maybe like me, you find resolving much easier than resting.

I am very forgetful to remember that I, like you, have a faithful and loving Father, who goes before and with us.   He enters into those anxious and scary places as the adult, and we like the child if we allow ourselves to abide in his authority.

I am so thankful for the truth in Exodus 33:14 this morning~ The Lord replies, “My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.”   When I can not just read this, but also reap it, my day becomes so much lighter.   I shrivel to think where I would be without the soul stabilizers of God’s promises.

Whatever is confronting you today, tomorrow or next week, may you find the grace to concede as a child of God and find peace in His assured provisions.

Rest for the Riddled Today

- dannalundstrom 1 Comment

 

Hey you, hey me, the thirsty, the desperate, the depleted, the exhausted…those barriers, wounds and struggles in our lives are not present by accident.   They are there by assignment.   Things that challenge us to our core either create or crush us.   They are available for our gain and God’s glory.   The difference in destroying us or defining us is our resolve to find the meaning and mission in our messes.

Trials do not always come from God‘s hands, but they come through them.   We can rest in that. He has touched every tragedy and challenge before we endured it.

Our tears are sifted by God before they are shed by us.    He has held them, and He will heal them in His time and according to His purpose.

The new year is sometimes more of the old, the hard and the worn out.   You are not alone.   Let your perspective be colored by God’s purpose, not your pain.   He is working on our behalf.   Believe it, look for it, expect it and never lose hope!   We can give rest to our resolving, riddled souls, because one thing is for sure, relief will come through God’s strength, not our striving.   It will be in His timing not our tweaking. Father, give us all the grace to REST in your sovereign authority today and all days. When we forget, gently turn us away from our struggles and back to your safe shelter.   Amen.