Coming out of the quiet place

I started July with a prompting from the Holy Spirit to make it a month of R.E.S.T.

A month to:

• Refuel/Refill my cup
• Expect to see God
• Soak up God's presence
• Trust God's sovereignty and control

Upon asking God to refill my cup, several virtual opportunities popped up that let me know He heard my request and had just the "fuel" that I needed at this particular time.

Let's just say that I soaked every one of them up, and I've got journals filled with pages and pages of notes to review (I learn and process information best by writing it down).

A two-day cross-cultural ministry course led by a missionary that mentored me as an intern in Mexico over 20 years ago. Though I only spent two short months in Mexico that year, the experience living with, working under, and learning from him and his wife still impact me today. As I listened to those in attendance (mostly missionaries and church leaders), I was once again reminded of all the cross-cultural aspects of my life that God prepared me for and continues to equip me for today. In my workplace, in my classroom, in online relationships, in ministry, and in my own home.

A full-day conference for teachers of faith called Teacher, Be Still, where each speaker reminded me that God will be with me every step of the way throughout this school year, reminding me that He is IN me. He commands me to be salt, to stay salty in my workplace. But I have a responsibility to stay plugged in, to start each day with Jesus, in order to not lose my ability to add flavor. My school is my mission field, but if I don't have a constant source to draw from to refuel, I will become useless in that mission field, as well as in all other areas of my life. Cutting off access to salt has a detrimental effect on all of society. I have two choices this year: Believe the worry and the fear OR accept the call to the front line and trust that God is on the front line with me. I can see all that's broken around me, or I can choose to see the beauty in that brokenness. It's there. I just have to look for it. 

I transferred all my notes directly to my Teacher Planner so I have them with me whenever I need them. 

A weekend conference with Priscilla Shirer and her sister called Desperate for Jesus.  Several speakers presented, but the one that stood out to me the most was Katherine Wolf, speaking about how to still praise God in suffering, reminding us that even when all seems lost, we have to find gratitude for what IS left, pick up those pieces, and build a new life that may not look anything like the old, but it can still be beautiful. (Sure sounds a lot like the school year ahead!) We can change our attitude and shift our perspective when we realize that God chose us for hard things because HE IS ABLE. We can ask God questions without questioning God or His character. Perhaps the treasure He allows us to find in the darkness is a treasure that someone else needs, and He chose US to carry that treasure to them. 

In addition to those three virtual conferences, I also got to spend the entire month of July digging deep into Scripture through a study called Into the Light and then meet virtually with a small group of women to discuss what God has been teaching us through it. I finished up a four week study on Facebook Live with my pastor's wife about how God wants us to FLOURISH in all areas of our life. I read several marriage books that had been recommended to me earlier in the year, I spent time coloring and meditating on the Psalms, and I prayed tons of Scripture over my husband and my sons every morning. I got to spend nearly every single morning outside on my front porch just soaking up God's presence, the part of summer that's always the hardest to let go when school resumes.

That's me and my mom sitting in the back row for the taping!

I love all the ways God continues to refuel me and the ways I can physically recharge in the summers. Even Jesus modeled that need to me, for both physical and spiritual renewal/connection with God.

Luke 5:16 CEV

But Jesus would often go to some place where he could be alone and pray.

Mark 6:31-32 CEV But so many people were coming and going that Jesus and the apostles did not even have a chance to eat. Then Jesus said, "Let's go to a place where we can be alone and get some rest." They left in a boat for a place where they could be alone.

Mark 1:35--Very early the next morning, Jesus got up and went to a place where he could be alone and pray.

Luke 6:12--About that time Jesus went off to a mountain to pray, and he spent the whole night there.

Matthew 14:13a--After Jesus heard about John, he crossed Lake Galilee to go to some place where he could be alone.

Matthew 14:23--Then he went up on a mountain where he could be alone and pray. Later that evening, he was still there.

Mark 6:46-47a--Then he told them goodbye and went up on the side of a mountain to pray. Later that evening, he was still there by himself....

Jesus loved people. Dearly. He became one of them, lived life with them, and ultimately laid down his life for them. But he knew there were times that he needed to retreat to the quiet place.

As my pastor put it in a short devotional one morning this week, sometimes God instructs us to stay put so that we can receive the power we need to move forward. To go back out into the world. Personally, I'm pretty good at retreating to the quiet places. I thrive in silence. My thoughts gain clarity and my creativity comes to life when I spend time alone. I would much rather prefer attending a virtual conference from my front porch or living room than attend a large gathering, surrounded by people on all sides with no chance to really connect with my thoughts, constantly having to make small talk and mingle during short breaks. But God didn't create us for a virtual world, whether there's an invisible contagion out there or not. He created us for community, and he commands us to be salt and light in the world. As much as I would love to, I can't stay in my quiet bubble forever. There's purpose outside of me for this time of renewal inside of me.

These conferences were just what I needed, reminding me of God's purpose for me, equipping me spiritually and empowering me to go back out into the workplace with a supernatural courage and energy. This school year looks to be the most challenging one yet. I'm so thankful for the much needed break so that I can head to the front line with all the power I need to stay salty, no matter what comes my way.