The Question: How or what do you do to refresh your body, your soul or spirit? Share with your sisters some hints or testimonies of how times of refreshing have come your way!
From: Portland, Oregon
In the last issue of Real Women I was glad for the admonition to rest. It is something that I have had to learn; that I still struggle with, but for me has been an opportunity to learn the way of the cross.
I discovered that I have a major disease, diabetes. The core of this disease is that my body takes food and instead of burning it to produce energy, it stores it and tells me I still need energy. This lack of energy has affected my life on every level daily. Somewhere, in the struggle over the years I discovered a great truth in a book by David Wilkerson. He said, “The cross is that you can’t do it.” Of course, this isn’t a complete understanding of the way of the cross but it cut to the core of a practical way for me to learn to follow Jesus and a profound difference in the way I understood success.
I come from a line of very determined “try ers”. We tried very hard to please God. He was very touched by our zeal and efforts but we still never got close. Sometimes I would do very well and I would be pleased and sense that God really loves us, and sometimes I would fail big time and feel very discouraged but I never got real close to God ever. If I hadn’t had a close friend to pray me through my first teenager I don’t think I would have made it either physically or emotionally.
I discovered that I had a choice. I could either learn to accept that I was in weakness and pain and cry out to God or I could try harder (or eat, or drink, or take any other addiction to ease the pain). He began by redefining success for me.
Some scriptures that came alive to me were (to paraphrase) His admonition to love the Lord your God with all your heart and soul and mind and your neighbor as yourself. Success is to love God with everything you have, and get close to Him, and to love others and grow closer to them. I finally could understand why Paul could say that he gloried in his tribulations. Because, in his weakness, he cried out to God, and God heard him. Others would pray with him and their prayer would be answered and they would sense the presence of God, and the bonds of love would tighten.
Paul gloried in the fact that He needed Jesus, Jesus would hear him and answer, and God would be glorified. If Paul was hungry or thirsty, or needed rent money or his car broke down it was a chance for God to hear, to answer and to be glorified. Whatever need or problem that we have, instead of being a horrible problem is a chance to be closer to God and/or others.
This may sound simple but it has taken me thirty years of resisting being needy to catch on. We want to be “together”, to be all sufficient. The American dream seems to be to be able to care for everything you will ever need from birth to retirement or death, by yourself. If you just buy all the right insurance, have great kids, buy all the right magazines so you know just what to do, and especially go to the right church, you won’t lack a thing.
Being weak means that you get to depend on God for answers. The Holy Spirit prays for us when it goes too deep for words. He gives us wisdom and doesn’t scold us, He gives us ideas when we don’t know what to do. He wants us to” nestle not wrestle” like Corrie Ten Boom learned.
The result is that we grow close. How can you help but love God when He comes at your point of greatest need and is sufficient. How can you not be thankful when you don’t know what to do and He wows you with what works. You grow close to others who have suffered with you and prayed for you for years.
I still struggle keeping up with life in the natural. Years of answered prayer have helped me draw close and I know deeply and profoundly that I am loved by God. I have learned to listen for the voice of God and rely on it rather then plunge ahead. I have friends who love me and I want no greater legacy than for others to know that I loved Jesus and that I loved them.
My kids aren’t perfect but they know that I love them and pray for them. We haven’t built a big church, we relate to a few people in a home church. I am hungry for the presence of God and for it to be in others lives. May His strength be made perfect in my weakness and may He be glorified.
Submitted by: Kay Lee
From: London, England
As the wife of a pastor and living in East London I always get an immense feeling of freedom when we get the chance to drive out of the dirt and business of the city into the open countryside or down by the sea. Just having the time to see, experience and rest in the beauty of God's amazing creation and breathe in the 'fresh' air, truly 'restores my soul'.
Another thing I enjoy doing is taking long walks - this is a wonderful opportunity to talk and sing to the Lord which blesses me no end and I trust blesses Him too! This refreshes both my body and my spirit.
Visiting our little granddaughter of 18 months is not always relaxing but great fun! Being able to laugh brings release from tension and there is certainly plenty of laughter when she is around. Thanks be to God for so many blessings.
I leave this with you. Much love in the Lord.
Submitted by: Pat Diggines