Stillness

This past week several things have come up to remind me to be still. 

ONE

Last week was a crazy week with 3/4 of my once a month classes converging into 1 week. Add doctor appointments for Joshy, Kei, & I with an additional twist - the abscess in Joshy's arm we though was gone came back, so an additional doctor appointment was needed. There was also an influenza scare - one of my students was in class Wednesday and came down with influenza on Thursday then a Friday student, who was still under the "influenza quarantine", decided to go ahead and come to class on Friday anyway. All on top of the fact that Joshua seems to have a new year's resolution to start the day in the wee hours. Needless to say, I was more than ready for short stay - 2 nights & 3 days - to chill out... and like... sleep! 

However, I have a new year's resolutions, too: to exercise & eat right. Exhaustion really messes with willpower! For the 1st time this year I did not make my step goal on either Friday or Saturday 😓  I was feeling guilty, then I saw the following meme:

Resting, being still, is needed.

TWO

A meme I posted 7 years ago, when Joshy was in the cancer center, popped up on Facebook memories. He had already been hospitalized for 4 months and the end was not in sight. He blood counts were not rebounding as quickly as anticipated. It was rough all the way around; Jerry & the girls were at home fighting record snow, classes - Jerry was teaching his classes & mine, homeschooling without a teacher, in general - life without us being together, while Joshy and I were stuck in the hospital with nothing but lab work and transfusions to fill the hours.  The reminder of "Be still. God is in control." was a much needed, gentle reminder to trust the LORD.

THREE

Sunday's memory verse was:

"Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord." Romans 12:19

The message was from 1 Samuel 24:1-7. David had every opportunity to take revenge against King Saul, but he didn't. In another reference, 1 Samuel 26:10, David left revenge in the LORD's hands.

"As surely as the Lord lives,” he said, “the Lord himself will strike him, or his time will come and he will die, or he will go into battle and perish.""

Another verse from the message was:

"Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you." 1 Peter 5:7

My over all take on the message was; relax, be still, and trust God to handle the situation. Taking matters into our own hands isn't God's will. 

Pulling the randomness of this post together:

“Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” Psalm 46:10

God has every situation under control.