As I scrolled way way back in my school email where I send myself links to look at later, I knew there were a lot of devotions and Bible studies in there, so that was how I was choosing what to do each day for a while. I was "randomly" choosing one, but it felt a lot like they were choosing me.
I've been tired. Mentally and physically. Training was hard there for a bit (not much now since the season is so far away), and school was stressful. I have more than a full load of work right now. All this coronavirus stuff and never knowing the truth or where it is or what people are doing, I was living in anxiety. Anxiety is exhausting.
But
God knows what we each are going through, what we need, and when we need it.
Those devotions were saved for a reason. I needed them now more than when I
came across them. The tweets that I notice on my feed while I eat dessert
aren't just happenstance. The instagram posts? Media has a lot of crazy ways it
stalks us to show us what we want or need to see, but God is way better and
more powerful than an algorithm!
I
could go on and on about some of these, but here are some devotions, articles,
pictures, and tweets that have really stood out to me lately on the topics of
work, worry, and rest.
Here are the links to the devotions I'll be going over for anyone's reference:
Desiring God: For Weary Women in a World of
Opportunity
Desiring God: All You Need For Another Year
Desiring God: Lord, Teach Us to Work--Learning from
the Labors of Christ
KLove Encouragement: Rhythms for Loving Action
Desiring God: Good Men Work Hard and Sleep Well
To get the ball rolling, here are some other awesome things that I came across during the same time I was studying through these! No pun intended when I said ball, but it happened...
This was a section from the daily New York Times email in their "idea of the day" where they used the NBA as an example of how rest really improves life and performance. This came just a couple days after I had commented to our two coaches about all these pro runners breaking records left and right, and they responded sarcastically, "Yeah, it's like not racing all the time is making their races better! They can actually take time to train and recover..."
In the middle of all the themed things coming to be, coach Andy even sent out an email that was all about sleep.
Simple lesson to learn
from our loved and missed sports world: you've got to take time to recover if
you want to be at your best.
This is what keeps me going some days! No matter where I am, what I'm doing (or not doing), I have a purpose. I may feel useless and lonely, but I will encounter people that I can impact by the things I have been through and come out of.
God says, "No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful. He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. He will provide a way out so that you can stand up under it." 1 Corinthians 10:13
While the word here is "temptation" I believe it can also be "trials." (Pastor Dean, I need your word-history-knowledge!) Everyone's situation is unique, but we still face similar circumstances as others all across the world. We can relate. Jesus can relate. He faced a huge variety of oppositions, yet He never sinned. We can go to Him, trusting that He understands and holds the plans to bring us through AND use it for something good!
These days, I know that
even if I were to never get to race again, I have more opportunities. I have
connections with teammates and encounters with even relative strangers where I
can share my story. Helping someone through a challenge by sharing a testimony
of how God has helped me is one of the most fulfilling feelings. And you never
know how much someone else may truly be struggling on the inside and your words
and God's work will touch their hearts and lives.
Also with my future job, whatever it may be, I will have the chance to help people get stronger mentally, spiritually, and physically, and that keeps me going and searching for ways to use my days.
Never be afraid to share your story! Embrace the grace that God has given you! Our struggles are not in vain.
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