Nov 12, 2017 |
by Molly Jo Realy @MollyJoRealy
Frankly, On Faith.
God doesn’t lie. He doesn’t manipulate, coerce, or push us into doing things.
Sure, there are times on this earth when life goes sideways or worse, upside down. That’s not God’s design. That’s the result of free will and sin.
You know what God’s design for us here on earth is? Joy. Peace. Community. Love. Beauty. Understanding. Freedom. Rest.
There’s at least one reference to resting in God in each book of the Bible. I’d say that means it’s a pretty significant message, wouldn’t you?
Then Jesus said, “Come to me,
all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens,
and I will give you rest.
Matthew 11:28 NLT
The thing is, we’re taught to carry our own loads. That it’s not “cool” to ask for help or slow down the busy pace of life. We especially don’t want to inconvenience someone else. Am I right?
But what if that part of our teaching is wrong? What if we could simply stop, take a breath, and ask God to help us? Do you think He would?
Frankly, On Faith: God Will Give You Rest
Resting is our body’s way of healing itself. Whether it’s just a day’s work, or a significant illness, during sleep our bodies are working to recover and get back to God’s design for our humanity. So is it really out of the question to think He should be our first Go-To Guy when we need rest of any kind?
Whether it’s physical, mental, emotional, or spiritual, God’s got this. We just need to let Him.
TWEET THIS: Will you give God the opportunity to give you rest? @MollyJoRealy #franklyonfaith #restinHim
And Franky, My Dear . . . : That’s all she wrote!
Oct 8, 2017 |
by Molly Jo Realy @MollyJoRealy
Frankly, On Faith.
We’re a busy culture. We are go-go-go with not just a lot on one plate, but many plates. The Bible warns us the sloth will perish in poverty, but we can take the opposite to extreme which is just as ignorant.
Scripture has many verses about the need for rest. It refreshes our spirits, gives us time to connect with God, allows our bodies to recoup and recharge.
Health experts have always praised the benefits of rest.
This doesn’t mean sleep, which we do every day. It means to limit your activity so you can refresh, to give yourself a moment of tranquility, a period of solitude and/or quiet.
It can also be a way of celebrating a job well done.
“And God blessed the seventh day and declared it holy,
because it was the day when he rested from all his work of creation.”
~Genesis 2:3 NLT
Frankly, My Dear . . . : Rest Easy.
Resting is a conscious choice to relax and enjoy the world around you. What does that look like to you?
TWEET THIS: What does resting look like to you? @RealMojo68 #resteasy #franklyonfaith
And Frankly, My Dear . . . That’s all she wrote!
Jan 29, 2017 |
Frankly, On Faith: Do All Things
by Molly Jo Realy @RealMojo68
Frankly, On Faith.
So here’s something to prove my point: I’ve tried three times to write this post. The first two took a turn, so will be upcoming posts. But this one. I can’t seem to get it quite right.
Ridiculous, when you consider the topic.
All I’m trying to say is, God gives us what we need, when we need it.
Because we’re not God. We can’t do it all.
But He is. And He can.
And we’re in Him.
So, really, we can.
“For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.”
~Philippians 4:13, NLT
Just open the door, let Him in, take a deep breath, and let Him work.
Simple? Sometimes it’s not. Sometimes we want to hold on, or change the method, or the outcome. We’re control freaks like that. Am I right? We’re such control freaks that we wear ourselves out trying to not show weakness. And sometimes we wear ourselves out to the point that all anyone sees is a pile of I-don’t-care-anymore mush. A puddle of perkless blechiness.
We’re trying so hard to do it all that we end up not being able to do anything.
We live in a multi-tasking, SuperHero environment. We forget it’s okay to step back, say “no” or “not now,” and rest.
So letting Him be the project manager of our life is sometimes kinda hard to deal with. We don’t want another someone telling us what to do, even if we know we can’t do it alone. You with me?
The thing is, He’s been there. He can see on the other side of the wall, and He knows the best way to get us over it.
So for today, I’m taking that deep breath and letting Him lead. Because I don’t want to be that overwhelmed, coffee-addict, multi-tasker that barks at everyone when things don’t get done. I’d rather be the calm, sweet tea-drinking, enjoy-the-moment kinda girl.
Besides. He’s really the one who does it all, anyway.
Sometimes, doing everything through Christ doesn’t mean He helps us do it all. It means we filter everything we do through Him. And that sometimes means tossing out the pieces that no longer fit.
See? He’s already pruning away the weeds and all you did was take a breath.
Sometimes, doing everything means starting by doing nothing.
CLICK TO TWEET: Frankly, On Faith: Sometimes, doing everything means starting by doing nothing.
With a blank page and a peaceful heart,
~Molly Jo
Frankly, On Faith: Do It All
And Frankly, My Dear . . . That’s all she wrote!
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Apr 19, 2015 |
Are you often amazed at the plethora of Monday-haters on social media? Sundays are an infestation of draggy, please-don’t-make-me-go-back posts and photos of closed eyes or weekend-recovery moments captioned “One more day!”
With the humans away, the Cats will play…
I understand. When you need that break to refresh, ending it can seem, well, horrid. I typically clean Bedford Manor after work on Friday night, leaving Saturday as my To-Do List and Play With Friends Day. That makes Sunday my day of rest. My I-Can-Do-Anything-Or-Nothing Day.
But here’s where I admit a dark secret: I treasure most Mondays. Those are days when the work week starts over. It’s the beginning of new opportunities to fill the board with great accomplishments, rack up some goals, and share ideas on making at least our corner of the world a better place.
To-Do List
Mondays are a chance to start over, or continue. There’s nothing quite so nice as knowing I’m earning my paycheck, and starting the week means I’ve five solid days to do just that.
When I’m done with my day job, I get to come home and work on writing, editing and social media publishing for my freelance clients. On Tuesdays and Thursdays you can find me in critique groups or working on their submissions. Wednesday evenings I’m in the online chat room for Aaron Gansky’s Firsts in Fiction Podcasts. Yeah. I’m busy. I wouldn’t have it any other way.
And for those weeks when Mondays are hard to appreciate, there’s always the Pollyanna approach.
“You can be glad because it’ll be a whole week
before (it) comes around again.”
I challenge you today to make a list of five things you have to look forward to this week. Just five things. It can be as simple as a quiet cup of coffee before work, or a smile from a coworker. It can be as complex as making it through the day when you don’t feel good, or paying a bill when you’d rather put food on the table.
Start a Glad List. Next week, come back and tell me how your week went. We’ll both be glad you did.
MoJo Glad List
And Frankly, My Dear . . . that’s all she wrote!
Oct 7, 2012 |
I recently had the opportunity to combine both my love of writing with my love for people. I shared a rough draft of my Study on the Ten Commandments with a dear friend who later told me Day Three really spoke to him.
After an introduction to the Study and to the Ten Commandments as a whole, Day Three introduces the reader to the First Commandment: “You shall have no other gods before me.” (NIV, Exodus 20:2). What my friend gleamed onto was a short message encouraging the reader to let go of all that distracts us from God.
God asks us to just be still. “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” (Psalm 46:10, 11). The context here is God saving us from ourselves. He is all we truly need. We just need to turn down the other noise to hear Him completely.
I’m not advocating giving up your day job in order to spend hours meditating. I believe God gives us the ability to care for ourselves and those around us, and it’s our honor to do so in His name.
But there comes a time when we allow distractions to keep us busy, to stop us from facing those things we want to avoid. We often feel if we’re not exhausted at the end of each day, we’ve accomplished nothing worth noting.
Shhhh. I have a secret.
Are you listening?
It’s okay to take a breather.
In. Out. Deep in. Hold. Deep out. Relax.
It’s okay.
Sometimes it’s necessary to unplug and regroup. It’s important to just enjoy the quiet world around us and make our own Retreat. That quiet morning coffee? Bliss. After the kids go to bed? Nirvana. A quiet walk around the yard. A book in bed. Whatever you need to do to be still, do it.
Give yourself time to wind down from life’s busyness. Take a moment to prioritize your To-Do List. Just enjoy.
God is whispering to you. Are you listening above the noise?
And Frankly, My Dear… that’s all she wrote!
[A Study on the Ten Commandments will be available in early 2013 through New Inklings Press.]
And Frankly, My Dear… that’s all she wrote!
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