As summer begins to wind down, I notice some nights are colder than others. Some trees have begun to lose their leaves and my thoughts turn to planning out my garden for autumn.
But the busyness of summer also continues. The days still feel rushed and overwhelming at times. How do we slow down and take time to breathe and be still?
Are our spiritual lives also this crazy at times?
For me personally, yes!
Slowing down
Both my spiritual life and physical life have been hectic lately. I have to learn how to slow down and take time not only for myself but also for God. Currently I am doing many things to learn how to achieve this, including origami, journaling and just having a nice relaxing bath from time to time.
But for my spiritual life, I have begun a journey through the Psalms. I have done this before some years ago and felt it would be a good way to get back into a rhythm of reading the scriptures.
This is a season of change. Nearly everyone I’ve talked to seems to be going through something at the moment.
I hope you, the reader, feel encouraged that even when life gets crazy, we all need to take time to breathe and slow down and reflect on what is good in our lives.
I read a quote the other day the really resonated with me:
“The moon reminds me that no matter what phase I’m in, I’m always whole”
-Unknown
If you would like to start a journey through the psalms, here's a verse to get you started (I usually start at the beginning and read one chapter a day).
Psalms 91
“He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the LORD, "He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust." Surely he will save you from the fowler's snare and from the deadly pestilence.
He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart. You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day, nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the plague that destroys at midday.
A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you. You will only observe with your eyes and see the punishment of the wicked. If you make the Most High your dwelling-- even the LORD, who is my refuge-- then no harm will befall you, no disaster will come near your tent.
For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways; they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone. You will tread upon the lion and the cobra; you will trample the great lion and the serpent.
"Because he loves me," says the LORD, "I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name. He will call upon me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him. With long life will I satisfy him and show him my salvation."
Chanell Diaz is a member of The Salvation Army in New Zealand. She and her husband Ronald both work as child care workers and Chanell is also a qualified Youth Worker through Praxis. Chanell has a heart for justice and enjoys creating art and writing in her spare time.