Welcome my friend, come on in, I have the kettle on. Would you like tea, coffee or hot chocolate?
I’ve baked a tray of gf double choc Brownies & have dollops of Lf fresh cream & sweet strawberries picked straight from our garden.
Today, we’ll be sitting under our beautiful Jacaranda tree that fills our backyard with shade in the hotter months & sheds its leaves allowing the warmth of the Sun in the colder months.
It’s perfect weather here in the Southern Hemisphere at the moment as it’s Autumn. Now we’re seated let’s begin our reflection.
Deciphering what’s really important in life…
Yesterday, I picked up an old Journal that I had started in Nov 2004, filling it’s pages until 2010.
It was an interesting exercise, reading what I had written while travelling through the twists & turns of those years.
One thing I noticed is that my dreams & desires back then are no longer what I desire today, in fact they lost their significance even before completing that journal.
You see the year 2005 saw the beginning of a rocky journey with chronic health conditions, though I didn’t realise it at the time, I thought I was just worn out from some strain of the Flu.
However, these conditions would bring significant changes to my life, marriage & family that I just didn’t see coming.
You see during that year God kept highlighting the question; Are you comfortable Being?
My reply each time was, ‘of course Lord’!
And at the same time the following scripture was emphasised in my devotions & Bible study;
Let go & relax & know that I am God.
Psalm 46 :10
Little did I realise the ramifications of what God was asking & emphasising.
You see back in 2005 I was about to reach the pinnacle of my career after decades of working in the area of Mental Health. And I had found love again marrying my present husband, after going through a season of widowhood from the loss of my late husband Ed, to brain cancer.
And the season of Grandmotherhood had begun. Yes, all seemed well in my world at that time.
However, the lack of energy, muscle stiffness & pain persisted, by 2006 it had been labelled Chronic Fatigue.
Although I continued working it was becoming increasingly difficult to keep up the pace with everything.
In 2009 after a short break, I cut back to part time hours but even struggled with those, then I was diagnosed with several autoimmune conditions including Fibromyalgia after seeing a team of Medical specialists.
The Holy Spirit highlighted the following, which I’ve personalised;
Finally, [Jennifer] believers, rejoice!
Be made complete [be what you should be], be comforted, be like-minded, live in peace [enjoy the spiritual well-being experienced by believers who walk closely with God]; and the God of love and peace [the source of loving kindness] will be with you.
2 Cor 13:11 AMP
Back then I didn’t really comprehend the significance of those words & their meaning in living with these conditions on a day to day basis.
These Autoimmune conditions that would force early retirement in 2011 from the work & ministry I loved. That would force watching life from the sidelines.
That would often exclude me from time with family & friends. And would force a change in my communication style as shared in my post Listening.
Change also comes with Blessings
However, not all is doom & gloom on this journey which reading through my journal highlighted anew.
You see I’ve been able to shed those old desires that weren’t important after all (although at the time they seemed so) I realised they just weren’t God’s best for my life.
And that is a true blessing my friend, to be able to prioritise the things that God has for us, letting go of past desires is unbelievably freeing!
Echoing that first verse given at the beginning of this journey…
Let go & relax & know that I am God!
Yes, life changing events can bring great challenges but also great blessings.
One of those blessings is that Hubby & I have been able to spend much more time together, since he was also forced into early retirement due to his own health concerns.
And during this season I have watched him grow in leaps & bounds in his walk with the Lord which has enriched our lives together immensely.
Another blessing has been to meet with you here each week since January 2018. Which has truly given me a renewed sense of purpose through our times together.
And apart from writing here, I’ve been able to author & publish two works. A complimentary read of my vignette is HERE.
Doing verses Being
Just like Jesus drew apart from everything around Him to spend precious time with the Father. God also invites us to draw apart from the world & just Be with Him.
But often we’re too busy or focused on the Doings (even for Him) that we either speed through our devotion & prayer times or don’t prioritise them though we think we do!
What I’ve observed not only in my own life but in many lives I’ve known, is that God loves us too much to allow this to happen.
As Being with Him is far more important then any of our Doings. After all He first & foremost created us for relationship with Him.
What I’ve observed when we’re far busier than God wants us to be, is that He allows certain things in our lives that get our attention.
Drawing us apart from the world to spend time with Him.
And that’s what this journey of rest has revealed, shedding the Doings has enabled the comfort of Being ~ letting go, relaxing & really experiencing that He is God, the source of all loving kindness!
What’s really important to me?
My answer is simple, relationships are really important to me, especially my relationship with my Heavenly Father, through His Son Jesus, my Saviour.
Everything else in this world is either a blessing or a hindrance. A blessing if it’s God’s Will & a hindrance if it’s not!
How about you, how would you answer the above question?
Until next time,
Jennifer
You’re most welcome to join me in The Reading Nook
Or in Prayer
© 2024 Jennifer M. Ross, All Rights Reserved. Photo by Anete Lusina on pexels
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Beautifully written! I have a friend with fibromyalgia, and I know it can be rough! But looking for what you can learn from it, as you have done, is a wonderful and important perspective. There are things in every life that we wish were different than they are, but God does have a purpose, and things are a little easier, I think, if we can look for it. Visiting from Sweet Tea & Friends.
Thank you Jennifer. 😊
I wholeheartedly agree with your following statement;
“There are things in every life that we wish were different than they are, but God does have a purpose, and things are a little easier, I think, if we can look for it.”
I once read somewhere, I can’t remember where, that as we mature in Christ our desires change. The old things we “thought” were important no longer are. You words really spoke to me today and reflected much of myself.
Thank you Paula, it appears we’ve had a similar journey my friend.
Our changing heart desires reflect transformation, Jennifer. As we are conformed into His image, our desires reflect His heart more and more. Thank you for sharing your journey with us today.
You’re welcome Lisa. Yes, transformation is what our life in Christ is all about…isn’t it? 😊
Our stories so often overlap. Over and over God has taken me from what I want to what I need. What a blessing.
We truly have a loving Heavenly Father Elizabeth… ☺️
Jennifer, it’s fascinating that many of the dreams we once held dear are no longer of interest or applicable for where we find ourselves now. And yet, Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Our lives are but a breath, but He will always and forever be.
It is interesting isn’t it Linda? Although, everything has its season & there’s always learning curves within those seasons.
Unfortunately, often we cling to old seasons with dreams/desires that weren’t of God, refusing to let them go even though they have long passed us by & we knew they weren’t God’s plan for us.
And this often leads us to either missing the new season or not be fully present in the season that God has before us.
I’ve found when a dream/desire of mine has died or I’ve let it go, God has always replaced it with His desire that is far above anything I could have ever imagined in its blessings in my life & the lives I love. 😊
Have you found this too?
Isn’t it amazing how what was important to us some years ago, no longer holds that place of importance. Perhaps it’s because Jesus becomes more dearer to us as we grow in intimacy with Him.
It is Donna! Yes I agree about the intimacy which has reminded me of the following words of an old hymn;
“Turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full into His wonderful face & the things of the Earth grow strangely dim in the light of His glory & grace.”
I sometimes go back through my old journals and diaries too. It’s always enlightening to see our priorities over time and how they affect our lives, in and out of difficult circumstances. I’m glad you have found peace in a hard place. I appreciate your gentleness and kindness you carry in this space and in your visits to our own blogs!
Thank you Lisa for your kind words. Yes, it’s always a fruitful exercise to see how far we have come & what the Lord has done for us & those we love in those years.
I can definitely be more of a Martha (a Do-er) than a Mary (a Be-er), especially as a busy young mom. Reshifting my priorities and letting go of trying to do too much has given me space to be present with those I love and make space for sweet memories I otherwise could have missed had I been distracted by life’s busyness.
Carving out to read has been a blessing for me too, so that is a priority (not as high as the above, but still important). I wrote more about this in the blog I am linking, if interested!
Lovely to have you join me here today Elena. Recognising our tendencies to get over busy in the doings is such a blessing in itself. 😊
I echo Pam’s comments. I do think as we age, we realize the importance of being still before God. My priorities become disordered when I busy myself doing rather than being. Thank you, my friend for your words of wisdom!
I agree Pam, our priorities definitely become disordered when we become busy. Thank you sweet friend ☺️
This is so very true, my friend. As we age and the Lord refines us the less important things are set aside by choice or circumstance and perhaps it is then we become more whole. These gentle words of testimony warm my heart.
Thank you Pam for your warm encouragement, it’s lovely having you drop by today ☺️