floating

This was exactly what I needed yesterday.  

I know, this is probably what we ALL needed yesterday!  Wish you were here!

I needed a day to remember His goodness.  I needed a day to bask in His beauty.  I needed a day to sit back from my life and watch it.  I needed a day to wade in the water with Lily, to let Nora sleep on my shoulder without trying to do dishes at the same time, to hold handfuls of rocks for So while she dove and dove and dove for more.  Needed a day to laugh with friends and eat someone else's food.

At one point Nora was sleeping on Matt, Sofie was singing loudly in a raft and Lily was snorkeling with Zoe, and I sank back into the cool clear water and let it carry me.

Not striving, not fighting, not working...no sound, eyes closed, weightless and without burden.

It was just Him and me, floating in His enveloping presence with complete and total trust as He carried me.  

Those completely peaceful moments are incredibly rare, of course.  But a day later, I'm still clinging to that TRUTH.

I need not strive and fight and battle.  I need not worry and stress and fear.

In the midst of the never-still waves of the ocean of life, I need not struggle.  Ah, to STAY in that place of letting go...of drowning out, of ceasing, of releasing my burdens...and to trust Him completely to carry me, to cover me, to hold me and to BE CLOSE.

He is so close, family.

We get focusing so much on all the voices, on all the wind, on all the waves, on our swimming, that we get thinking He's far off.  Get thinking that we are to face it all on our own.  Get thinking that we CAN.  Get thinking that we must. 

We forget that He is GOD of the ocean.  God of the wind and the waves.  God of our burdens and gifts and children and day-to-day, God of our lives. We get thinking that WE are.

I'm so incredibly thankful that we. are. not., because frankly, I've got NOTHIN' of my own to offer.

Rest in Him, today, whether the day is restful or not.  Whether the horizon is clear or not, regardless of the wind and waves.

And let us rest in Him tomorrow, too.  

Look up and receive the quiet contentment of the Lord Jesus.

Reflecting His peace is proof that you are right with God,

because you are exhibiting the freedom to turn your mind to Him.

With regard to the problem that is pressing in right now, 

are you looking to Jesus and receiving peace from Him?

If so, He will be a gracious blessing of peace exhibited in and through you.

O.Chambers