Rest

1. Who took naps as a kid? Who liked them? 
2. Who takes naps now? Who likes them?

The answers are pretty different from the first questions to the second questions. I remember, as kids, my sister and I were told we had to take a nap. I would lie there and fidget and sweat (in the summer SE Texas heat), and my mind would wander and wander and wander.....until finally, I would fall asleep just before Mother or Daddy would come in and tell us we could get up. Then,  I would be so lethargic and not want to get up.  Uggghhhhh.....the perils of naps. 

Today? I might very well take a nap. I am on my "reset sabbatical" to get healthy and strong again. Funny that last week was "Reset" and today is "Rest". I love words so much. 
Okay, back to naps. I have often told Dave I am so jealous of him. He can literally sit down on the couch and, within seconds (not minutes, folks, (and I promise I am not exaggerating)---seconds!), he will be asleep.  I love a good nap, but most of the time, it takes a few minutes for me to settle down enough to get a nap going. Watching golf with Dave is a good way to induce a nap, but WOW! when it happens, I just love it! 

Our Episcopal priest, Father Jay, talked of Jesus sending the apostles into the wilderness. They had just come back from their "two-by-two" expedition, and they wanted to rest. Jesus sent them into the wilderness. What does the word "wilderness" conjure up for you? For me, it reminds me of the big Piney Woods of East Texas, the Appalachian Trail, Denali National Park, the Yukon Territory, and so many other places I've been and loved (and those I haven't been---maybe God hasn't "sent me" there yet). Father Jay said that if we go into these "wilderness" places, even though we think it might be restful, we have to be vigilant as there can be dangers in the wilderness (especially if we don't know what we are doing). It is in those times of being in the wilderness alone that we need to rely on God's help. What if a lightning storm begins on the Appalachian Trail? Should you get under the trees or out in the open? In the Yukon Territory, if you happen onto a moose or a bear, are you supposed to "look big" and make lots of noise or are you supposed to turn around and run? In the wilderness, I would not only have to rely on the skills I had been taught before I ventured there but I would need to rely on God.  

We may not go to Denali very often (if ever, but if you get the chance, take it, as it is SO beautiful!), but we do have our own "wilderness" places in our own lives during which time, we have to rely on God because we are not in charge. I definitely believe this happened to me during my recent stint in the hospital. I would be awakened by the vampires who must take my blood at 3:00 a.m. (really??), and I could go right back to sleep after that (but why, oh why, can't you take it out of an IV and quit poking needles in me?), but during the day, I would feel so lonely (God bless Dave----he came to the hospital as much as he could, but we have two Labs that needed his attention, as well, so he most certainly couldn't be there all the time) and scared (when will these antibiotics kick my infection? when will I get to go home?).  While waiting for news from my doctor or waiting for the next IV drip to be changed or pain meds to be brought, I had to realize that God is definitely in charge.  Imagine that in a vast hospital, in my room, there I can find and hold onto God! 

One of my favorite sayings is "I can't; God can; I'm going to let Him". It pretty much sums up what it feels like to truly rely on God so I can rest easy in His loving arms. When I try to take control, things go south pretty quickly. When I give it up to God, I can rest----even when I am in the wilderness.

What is your wilderness? How do you navigate through it, even when it might be scary and you aren't sure whether to run from the bear or bang pots and pans at it. In those times, what are your go-to strategies?  How do you find rest? 

I am grateful to have navigated some of my most recent wilderness, and I will continue to do so by relying on God and taking help when it is offered. But for now....I think I will take a nap.

Happy Communicating,

​Shelly