the comeback

For the last three months i've stared at my computer aware of the thoughts and stories i want to get out, but for some reason i just couldn't do it. i'm struggling to type right now too. i know how much i've experienced and grown this season but i realize i haven't slowed down enough to process it all.

A professor last semester said that we need punctuation marks in life. Celebrations, ceremonies, rituals and even tragedies mark seasons in our lives and help us slow down. Birthdays, weddings, funerals, promotions and graduations are some common examples of exclamation marks. There are commas, periods and question marks as well.. And then there's the place in which i've found myself: a run-on sentence. 

As my first year of college came to a close, i took my finals, moved back home, drove to Arizona with my Young Life team, started my internship with West Houston Young Life, took weekend trips to Canyon Lake and Austin, rode a bus to a high school camp in Colorado, came back and then did it again with more high school friends to go hiking for a week in the wilderness. And that's where i realized what i was doing. Well, more like what i wasn't doing.

i was told in the Young Life office about a book called The Rest of God, which reminds us that there is power and healing in practicing the Sabbath like God intended for us. It's not an ancient rule that no longer applies to us. It's liberation; a chance to sit back and heal, feed, rescue, celebrate, lavish and relish the abundant life we've been given (Mark Buchanan). We work so hard to fill all our time with productivity, but our Creator tells us that is not going to fill our souls. Refuel by doing something you love; by separating yourself from your busyness and by being still. 

"The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath." - Mark 2:27

It's a gift. The backpacking trip i just returned from was surprisingly relaxing for me and provided me an opportunity to completely disconnect and spend time in creation with my one true Love. It opened my eyes to the beauty i've experienced in the last few months and how i haven't spent enough time thanking the Lord for what He's taught me. And even though i'll be in and out of town until summer ends, my excitement for spilling my thoughts has returned and i can't wait to share my
adventures of pursuing Jesus daily.

"Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he [Jesus] said to them, 'Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.'" - Mark 6:31

"The truth is, God would never endorse a pace (even in ministry) that leaves us so worn out that we have little time and energy for him at the end of the day. On the other hand, I know who would love to keep you busy, frantic, worn out, beat-up, and used up." - Vicki Courtney, author of Ever After