What a delight it has been to host Tuesdays Unwrapped in December. Tomorrow will be our last one. There are so many things that may be happening for you this week. Perhaps you are wrapping, preparing, shopping – things waiting to be finished on this last Monday before Christmas. I want to invite you away for a few minutes …
If you already have a Tuesday post prepared, then by all means share it with us tomorrow. But if you haven’t, and if you are feeling the weight or the pressure or the fatigue, come away for a bit. Go outside, walk if you are able, drive if you must, sit if it’s all you can manage. But go outside, step into the quiet, if just for a few minutes, and see what rises to the surface. As you do, listen for the sound of your soul speaking to you, telling you where you are this day. Lift up your anxieties to the only One who knows the future. Don’t force answers or analyze results. Simply take a few minutes to be with what is. If you wish to share, we’d be so glad to hear. Either way, let this be a gift.
Edited to add – read A Walk at the End of the Year for inspiration and to take the pressure off. Hope to see you tomorrow.
That is such a lovely invitation to peace. I wonder how, especially with the kind of work you do, you can stay in the peace. The world moves at such a pace and there is so much bombardment: endless blogs and twitterings to keep up with, do you have a way?
Oh Anna, you are getting right to the heart of it. I am learning the way – a lot of it has to do with shutting the computer, honestly. It’s all just too much sometimes. I think that’s why I’m so passionate about practicing quietness, and why I’m reading books on that very thing right now. My soul needs it, especially if I take the responsibility of creating a space for your soul to breathe online, I need to actually do it myself. It is a fight sometimes.
I love, love, love that you feel you must do it yourself in order to create this space for others!
Emily, please tell us/me about the books your are reading now? Or any your recommend. It is now 9:17 pm and this is the first moment of quietness I have had all day. Your blog is the first I check (or second – sometimes I check your sister’s first -smile) and it’s always SO encouraging. I would love to program my mind and my thoughts to be more like yours.
I first got to know Jesus after God led me to spend time quietly in His presence. It was life changing but sadly the good girl Christianity overtook it where times of quiet had to be productive. Bizarrely for the time of year I have spare time but how easy it is to reach for things to fill my head. I wonder about Mary’s mind v Martha’s – like her posture it must have been still and rested to receive. You are providing a wonderful facility encouraging us into something so against the sweeping tide of the world. Thank you. X
Thank you, Emily! This is just the thought and gift I needed this morning!
This is so beautiful, Emily. I need it, especially that invitation to lift up my concerns and anxieties to Him without expectation of an answer or a plan for the future. Thank you for that.
Beautiful invitation, Emily. I’ve been practicing the giving up of my anxieties to the only One who knows the future – it is the only way I’m finding peace. Spending time in quiet with my heart and eyes fixed on Him, oh how my soul is desperate for it.
I used to be so much better at doing this quiet thing. I don’t know if it is having a baby that has made it harder to remember how much I need it or what… but thank you for reminding me. Now if only I didn’t think that the dog would wake the napping baby if I stepped outside on the back porch for a minute, I would…
Just because this is too funny not to share….
I did it. I took the risk and grabbed my coat, slipped on my shoes, led the dog QUIETLY outside and… sat in a puddle of half-frozen dog pee. In my favorite jeans.
Sigh. Trying again later…
Carissa–sounds like me!!! hahahahahaha!!!
Oh, Amy, at least I am not alone!!
Thank you for that!
Exactly what I need! To listen to my soul. A deliberate choice for quiet.
(have I told you how much I appreciate you???!!!)
I have found your blog only recently, and this post is perfect for me tonight. We moved this past weekend about 150 miles from home. My hubby changed jobs and we have been living apart since late September. The stress of the move along with the holidays has caused panic attacks like I have never known. As I sit for the first time today in the midst of boxes and chaos, I appreciate the invitation to be still. I will make a point tomorrow to go out and be thankful for all we have been blessed with and to refresh. Thank you.