Thursday, October 23, 2014

The Beauty of His Invitation

Come away, My beloved, to a retreat on the beach. away from the stresses of daily life. away from all the little people who need you. away from the Kampala traffic. away from online distractions. Come away. It isn't always possible to come away for 3 days by the sea, but Sabbath rest is always possible. {more on Sabbath rest and intimacy soon}

Come together. You were made for community. Allow your fellow travelers to lighten your load. Admit your need. Ask for help. It's often the quickest way to build trust and community.  "Oh magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt His name together." -Psalm 34:3

Come unto Me. Not to serve Him, but to enjoy Him. The invitation is to intimacy, which can include working side by side, but doesn't always.  Enjoy Him. Maybe you need to plan a Play-date"Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good..." -Psalm 34:8  

Come often.  Daily quiet time is not enough. He longs for us to walk with Him, to glance in His direction throughout the day. Perhaps He is inviting you to pause three times a day, like Daniel.  "I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth." -Psalm 34:1

This past week I attended a "once in a career" opportunity for global women- a Thrive Retreat!  It was hosted in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania- on the beach of the Indian Ocean.  Thrive Retreat is hosted on most continents every year for global women from North America to come and be renewed and restored at a very small cost.  It was such a blessing!

And now I have the opportunity to live out what He was working into me on retreat- Josh will be away for 10 days (October 25-November 3)! And so I will be leaning into Him intimately, and leaning on others for help- it's definitely not my comfort zone- but I know it will be beautiful.

Linking up today at the Grove!  The prompt this week is: beauty.

What is God's invitation to you this week?  Or do you have any tips for surviving your husband's business trips? I'd be grateful to hear your thoughts!

4 comments:

  1. (Sorry if this posts twice - lost a connection)
    Kelly, so glad you linked up at Velvet Ashes today. And glad you were able to attend a Thrive retreat! May the encouragement you received there carry you through your husband's absence as you lean on Him and others! Blessings!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Yes, leaning into Him AND leaning into others. It really does have to be both, doesn't it? Praying your time of going solo is filled with reminders of His presence.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Kelly, it's cool to find your blog through Velvet Ashes! The retreat sounds wonderful! :) I attended Asbury....I looked up your bio with WGM b/c I was curious if you went there. What year did you graduate? (2000 for me) That's great you are able to serve with WGM! Blessings!

    ReplyDelete

Thanks for joining the conversation!