Rest from War

 "Then the land had rest from war." 

TRUST: from ourselves

Saturday morning, I awoke to a quiet house but there was an unsettling chatter in my heart. 

With my eyes opened, I felt the tears warm on my cheeks, I tried to locate reality but stirred to confusion. 

I quietly snuck out of the bedroom seeking truth because I couldn't trust myself. 

I didn't trust my thoughts, my tears, or my confusion, all I knew was my heart was aching and I was grieving. 

I felt like I had wrestled all night long with grief, I dreamed of my grandma all night and she was alive. 

She was talking to me. I could see her; I could feel her, but I couldn't find her in actuality, and I missed her so much. 

December is a hard month for me, and many. The month of celebrating for so many is also a month of quiet grieving for me. 

TRUST: to others

A few weeks ago, my girlfriends and I went down to Detroit for a holiday event. We started out at Campus Martius to enjoy the city celebrations. 

We walked through an entrance with a security guard sitting behind a table. Us girls had just gotten our photo taken, and the security guard joined in our excitement. She wanted to see our photo and with laughter she commented how adorable we all looked together. 

BUT then she followed it up with "I don't have any close friends, I don't TRUST anyone."  Such a strong statement that made us all want to love on her all the more. 

Trust is invaluable. 

"Then the Land had rest from War." 

I have been reading in Joshua. Before I opened the word I prayed and asked the Lord to reveal His wisdom and understanding to me in the repetitive chapter I was in. 

The last few chapters I had read were composed of wars and land seized and it was a bit of a struggle to get through to be honest. Truth is without coffee I may have fallen asleep, just being honest! But then WOW! My pen was underlining, writing and downloading Gods insights into my heart. My thoughts were spinning as I related to the words of Caleb in the book of Joshua. 

"Nevertheless, my brethren who went up with me made the heart of the people melt with fear; but I followed the Lord my God fully."  14:8 Caleb to Joshua

"I am 85 years old today. I am still as strong today as I was in the day Moses sent me; as my strength was then, so my strength is now, for war and for going out and coming in."  14:10-11 Caleb in Faith to continue to fight believing that God would give the Land to the Israelites as The Lord had promised. 

 

"Perhaps the Lord will be with me, and I will drive them out as the Lord has spoken."  Caleb continues. 

* The Lord gave him the land because of his Faithfulness. 

*Fully following the Lord; In Faith

*The Lord provides strength to conquer more than our fears WITH faith. 

* Sometimes the land of our heart feels like it is constantly in battle. We are at war with ourselves, with others and struggle with who to trust. A war that hardly takes a breath. BUT through faithfulness the Lord provides the proper battles worth fighting for. He delivers not only victories in "those" battles but REST from them also. 

I have jumped in the battlefield, armored up and ready to fight but the war was NOT of God. Truth is when I battle using my faith, trusting God in the battles of life they may not always look like victory but there is PEACE and that is a place of REST. 

The land of my heart seeks rest from constant battling. We live in a battlefield. 

Today it was freezing out. 

I battled where I was going to run, outside in the cold or around and around inside at the track. 

I battled getting to the gym and trying not to make a production of my run. But I prayed before I even had my shoes laced up for the Lord to give me the kind of strength Caleb had at 85.  

Our battles are not always about conflict with others, often times for me it is my internal conflict. 

It is learning to trust myself or like the security guard learning to trust others, that is always a battle. 

Just because people don't necessarily look like they are in a battle doesn't mean the land of their heart is restful. 

As we go through this holiday let us give grace to others, extending compassion and love.  Let us remember the power of a smile, the gift of a kind word. I pray that you find REST in this season.

I would encourage you to read Joshua. This book has encouraged me to fight the good fight with The Lords strength and perseverance.  "Fear Not". 

In peace, not pieces,  

Anita~