Resting :)

All last semester God had been trying to tell me to rest. I told Him I had way too many things to do and get done that it would have to wait until this summer. I figured my two weeks between coming home from school and leaving for camp would be enough to rejuvenate until Christmas break or whenever life slowed down for me again. Those two weeks were very busy and pretty much anything but rest! For months I had been in denial that I was running away from God but finally came to terms with my actions and realized that was exactly what I had been doing. Last semester was especially busy for me with a full course load and lots of activities. There were some points over the course of the months when I was pulling one all nighter a week and not being able to catch up on sleep, I wasn't seeing friends, and I was always in the library doing last minute assignments I didn't have time to previously work on. It was a rough period! I thought it was no big deal that I was letting my personal life fall by the way side to please my boss, professors, friends, and everyone around me. Many people, from different aspects of my life warned me that I needed to rest before I got burnt out. Thankfully the end of the semester came just in time that I didn't crash and burn, but I was very close!
This summer I have actually taken the time to rest and listen to God. It has been AHHHH-MAZING!! I have come to realize the importance of resting in God's presence and taking time for myself each day. Each morning I wake up and read my devotional, journal, and read my Bible. I choose 1-2 verses from the passage I read that day and write it out then pray about how it can be applied to my life that day. I also take time to lay down or even take a nap almost everyday! It is so great! I am getting to bed at a decent hour each night and loving it. I also take time to run each day(when possible!) and I absolutely love that time taking in the surroundings around me, where ever I may be. The Lord has definitely spoken to me in these times of rest and truly shown me how important it is to slow down each day and take time for myself. This is a very important lesson for me to learn this summer since I am going back to school in three weeks and will be attempting to balance a full course load, 20 hours of work a week, and a healthy, social lifestyle. I know God never gives us more than we can handle and He is with us every step of the way on this journey we call life:)
{Much love from a girl who takes time to, and actually enjoys, resting}