“I do not know what this day holds, but no matter what, I trust you.”
When that is my first thought as I wake up in the morning, I feel like I am home again. My feet are walking on solid ground with my God, worry is far, anxiety is not a thought, and my roots dig down deep, anchored and fed by my God.
It’s the way we were created to live, nourished and fed. But it isn’t a place that is easy to stay. So what can we do?
We can ask God to help us trust Him moment-by-moment and we can stack the deck in our favor. How can we stack the deck? By creating rhythms and patterns in our days. Rebekah Lyons’ book Rhythms of Renewal explains how to do just that. Her four rhythms are:
- Rest
- Restore
- Connect
- Create
You can take a quiz here to find out which rhythm you are the best at https://rebekahlyons.com.
When life begins to feel like too much, I can tend to close up, and it’s good for my heart to remember that there is another way. Like a good friend, Rebekah asks questions at the end of each chapter that allow us to explore our current rhythms and identify where we have opportunity for growth.
My father-in-law plants peppers in our garden beds and although I typically leave them alone, not wanting to add another thing to my “to-do list,” last night, my husband asked me to pick a tomato for dinner. As I took a moment to walk out to the garden bed and take a look, the pepper plants were heaving with peppers, but they stood tall because they were well supported. It reminded me that God has given us everything we need to do the things He gives us to do, and like the pepper plant, even when the day may look heavy, I can live supported and full.
You may feel like you live in anxiety all the time, or it may be a rare and distant feeling. Whether you want to know these truths for yourself or so that you can help to develop them in your kids, Rhythms of Renewal gives you examples and great questions to consider to help you stack the deck and trade stress and anxiety for a life of peace and purpose.
