𝘋𝘢𝘺 𝟸𝟶 – “𝘗𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘰𝘯 𝘌𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘩”, 𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘥𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘯 𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘵𝘰𝘣𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘴.𝘤𝘰𝘮 . . .

This might be the one moment you look at your phone today – a moment of mindless scrolling on autopilot or an intended escape from all that presses in during these weeks packed with details and events.

What is it you most need to hear that will steady your heart and mind? What will breathe fresh air into your lungs? What will touch your soul and renew its joy? What will grant you a moment of peace?

I don’t know about you, but it is far too easy for me to get swept away with “all the things” in December! All the things that leave me weary, with my head spinning, and my soul bone dry. I long to enjoy quiet moments truly rejoicing in the coming of my Savior, but somehow that thought quickly gets forgotten in the swirl of festivities.

I recently came across a simple 4-step exercise that met me right in the middle of the ache, the longing for peace amid the chaos, the sorrow over missing the true reason for this season, and the feeling that I was at a loss to figure out how it could all play out differently:

(1) RESET – It only takes a second to extend an honest reach for GOD… then listen… allow His Word to realign your perspective.

(2) REST – One of the greatest gifts/commands from GOD is to rest. Ask Him to show you when and how to take a much-needed break, to get enough sleep so you don’t run on empty.

(3) RESIST – Turn away from the urge to manufacture any specific vision, insist on your timeline, or pull away from GOD when days are non-stop.

(4) RESTORE – Ask GOD to restore your peace – to do for you what you cannot do for yourself, to remind you of what is truly precious in this season, to open your eyes to beauty you might have missed, to give you pause to savor and linger, and receive and acknowledge His love and His bountiful provisions.

What peace-filled reset might the LORD have planned for you today?

Don’t be anxious about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell GOD what you need, and thank Him for all He has done. Then you will experience GOD’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:6-7)