My lying down in green pastures occurred a couple of months ago. Not actually lying down but falling down. It started with not believing the weather report—a school closing ice storm that was to begin in the afternoon. So that afternoon I decided I had to run an errand. I didn’t see the ice.

But I did hear the sound of my head hitting the concrete sidewalk.

The fall landed me in the ER. The good news was no brain bleeding. The not so good news is that I had a concussion. I now have frequent headaches, neck problems, and several doctor’s appointments.

This was my forced lying down in green pastures—my opportunity to have the normal activities of life interrupted.  And I’ve discovered that stress will trigger a really bad headache. 

Before my fall I was stressed. I was overwhelmed with many things including launching a new website and blogging. Could I really write a meaningful blog each week? And if I did would anyone read it? These were just a few of my anxious thoughts that had set up camp in my head.

Another time in my life when I was forced to slow down was after the loss of my son ten years ago. I did the minimal in every area of life. And just doing the minimal took all of my energy. I needed to rest and focus on self-care.

Grief is hard work. My clients who have recently undergone a life-altering loss often find themselves exhausted. Emotionally it’s easy to feel paralyzed and believe that our lives are over. That’s why it is important to build in a time of rest. Lowering our expectations for ourselves.

To rest is to go against the culture that encourages us to keep going and fit more and more into the same amount of time. Yet we were not created to keep going at breakneck speed. Especially if we have recently experienced a painful trial.

Our good shepherd knows His sheep. And He knows when one of His sheep needs to lie down in green pastures.

We can fight it. We can complain. We can try to get up. Or we can accept our new normal.

In the Old Testament there were set times God called His people to rest. In the New Testament the principle of rest still holds true. God has created rest for our good.

Hopefully it won’t take falling on your head to slow down.

He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet water, he restores my soul (Psalm 23:12).

***Sign-up on the Home Page to receive these weekly blogs.

I’ve been fearful during the last week as I’m sure many of you have been.

Not usually my style, I prayed this morning that God would show me what passage to read. When I opened my Bible, the page landed on Hebrews 11—the chapter on faith.

The verse that God impressed upon me was, “And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.” (Hebrews 11:6)

As a Christian, one who has placed her trust in Jesus who died personally for my sins, I needed to exercise faith that God really is in charge. And that he will reward those of us who seek him in this current Corona crisis.

There are practical things most of us are doing which are being recommended—social distancing, handwashing, and sterilizing. But I’m not trusting in these strategies to get me through. When I try to place my faith in these things, I become anxious. It’s only when I’m trusting in God, that I am at peace. As his child, he promises to reward me for seeking him. I need to moment by moment not feed into the hysteria all around.

I received an email this morning from a godly retired missionary who has lived through her share of hair-raising adventures. She wrote, “The whole world is upside down, but I sometimes feel this is the tip of the iceberg . . .”

I agree.

As a Christian my concern goes well beyond the recent Corona crisis. My heart goes out to those who don’t know Jesus as their personal savior.  I’m aware of enough biblical prophecy to know the direction the world is heading.

I don’t know how this crisis will end, but I do know how the ultimate story is ending. In the book of Revelation, we can read of severe judgment taking place on the earth before Jesus comes back again. This time he is coming back not to be killed and rise again, but to rule and reign.

But there is hope.

Friend, if you do not know Jesus as your personal savior I invite you to trust him today. It seems as though the second coming of Christ is right around the corner and then it will be too late.

When I was 21 years old, I received eternal life by trusting in the truth of these words:

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. (John 3:16-18)

You can trust that Jesus died for your sins right now while there is still time. When you do God promises to give you eternal life. I pray you make this decision for real hope in perilous times.

***I welcome your comments. 

***You can sign-up on the home page to receive future blog posts.

#hopeinperiloustimes #gospel #counseling #coronavirus #endtimes

Christians typically give casseroles when someone dies. Books are a close second.

After I lost my son to suicide, friends brought lots of food; more food than my refrigerator could hold. We appreciated their thoughtfulness. The problem was that Bob and I weren’t eating. Food didn’t taste good. Grief numbed our taste buds.

The books we received we were able to savor in the days that followed.  My favorite book arrived at my doorstep, via UPS, Grieving the Loss of Someone You Love by Raymond Mitsch and Lynn Brookside.

The back cover has the following quote:

“Few losses are as painful as the death of someone close. No valley is as vast as grief, no journey as personal and life changing.”

In this short book are daily meditations of encouragement and practical biblical help. It’s a collection of devotionals dealing with 70 issues related to the grief process—ministering to both the head and the heart.

The best thing about this devotional is that it helped me realize that what I was feeling was normal, even though I felt crazy. Renewed hope that my peace of mind would return.

I felt inspired to keep slowly moving forward through what C.S. Lewis called, “the laziness of grief.” The apathy that sets in right about the time when others stop asking how you are doing.

I found comfort in knowing that my enormous fatigue after John’s death was to be expected. During the months and even years that followed, I felt tired all the time.  Routine day to day responsibilities seemed overwhelming.

Concentration was gone, replaced by confusion and forgetfulness. Not remembering what I was doing, where I put something, or even the name of someone I worked with. It was reassuring to realize that I was experiencing grief rather than early dementia.

I recommend this book as one of the first reads after the death of someone close and a great gift to give to a friend in mourning.

I’m grateful for the thoughtful person that sent this to me when I was at the beginning in my journey through grief.

May your unfailing love be my comfort, according to the promise to your servant.  Psalm 119:76