Curled Up In A Blanket
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“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.” Psalm 46:1 (RSV)
With the recent artic chill of winter, I have wanted to just curl up in a blanket and hibernate like a bear. It feels too cold to move and much easier to just wait until the cold has passed to engage in life. But I have still dragged myself out of bed each morning to walk and run in the frigid morning. Yes, you may think it is crazy to run in below zero windchill, but I feel like I accomplished something at the end of my run. I did not let the cold defeat me. Yes, the warmth of my bed was so comfortable, and it was tempting to stay wrapped in my blanket, but my determination to stay fit and spend time with God pushed me out from under those warm blankets.
Life can be difficult, and it feels easier to escape from the hard parts of life. Sometimes we rationalize that “Someone else will do it better.” “Why try?” “I’ll mess it up.” Or “I will be turned down anyway, so I need to protect myself from hurt.” We defeat ourselves even before putting in any effort. The negative chatter in our heads gets loud, and we feel like a failure even before we put one foot on the floor.
Nobody is immune to these negative thoughts. It is whether we dwell there and take up residence in these thoughts that makes the difference. I am attempting to market my new book – Live Different Moments. I want to glorify God and give my dog, Annie a legacy that her life is still making a difference. I keep praying for direction, but those negative thoughts creep in especially after being disappointed by the paths I have attempted. Part of me wants to give up and just curl up in my blanket and relax. I ask myself, “Why am I creating so much work for myself at this stage of life?” I could quit, but that is not what my heart desires nor what I believe God desires for me. God gave me my dog, Annie for a purpose, and God gave me words for the book. I am called to share God’s word to me with others. So, I keep praying and trying and attempting and letting go of the frustrations. I keep surrendering and depending on God.
I share this example from my current situation to let you know surrendering to God needs to be a daily occurrence and with each individual situation in our lives. We can take the easy path – just curl up and exist. Oh, yes, we do need to rest, reflect, and renew our spirit and not allow the coldness and negativity of the world to permeate our whole being forever. Rest is different than curling up and giving up.
The cold chill of the world can consume our thoughts. That is when worry finds an opening- “Maybe God does not care.” “Maybe I have to work on this by myself.” NEVER! God is always with us. God always cares. God will not reveal the whole solution at once. God asks us to take one step at a time. One and done. Trust God with the steps. Rest in God’s Presence. We need to abide in the “shelter of His wings.” (Psalm 61:4) This reminds me that God has me. I do not have to create the steps. I need to listen and come closer to God so that God will reveal to me each step. This requires patience to wait on God’s timing not my own. This is very difficult to do but necessary.
So curling up in the shelter of God’s wings is a good place to be. God is our strength and our protection. God wants us to rest in Him. But God does not let us stay comfortable here. God pushes us forward to live life. Life may still have times of being really hard, frustrating, disappointing, but God promises to be with us. We get to curl up in the shelter of His wings to be renewed and receive His strength and guidance for the rough road ahead.
Here’s the Amazon link to my new book – Live Different Moments
Check out my page on Facebook – Living In The Different
