Daily Devotionals
Friday, April 5, 2024 (Ashley)
My walk at 6:30 am versus my walk at 6:30 pm… my oh my, how much had changed in just twelve hours.
Most days, my mornings look pretty much the same. I stumble out of bed to make my way to use the bathroom and brush my teeth. By the time I arrive back into my room, I’m awake enough to make my bed and throw on some warmer clothes. I grab my water bottle that is perfectly chilled in the fridge and I head outside for a walk to wake up in the fresh air. I call this time, “My God alarm”.
At some point during the walk, I end up waking up a bit more and start talking to God
I notice things on these walks that I wouldn’t otherwise notice. I allow my mind to be slow and my heart to be open. But on this particular walk, I had gone to bed with a heavy heart and it wasn’t opening as quickly as I had hoped.
Knowing I was struggling, I began giving God all my problems. The ones I didn’t know how to fix and the ones I was certain I did. “This is what I’ll do next”, I caught myself thinking, and just like that I had turned my time with the Lord into my time to take control
But how was that working out for me? I had taken control the night before and I woke up feeling exhausted. So I just stopped. I stopped to notice three geese flying overhead, took a couple of deep breaths, and apologized to the Lord for being such a control freak.
The day went on and after dinner, as I often do, I headed out for my evening walk. As I headed up our backyard hill, the sun was shining, the wind was still, and just like most of the snow, so many of my morning problems had melted away. No, they weren’t all gone or solved but they were headed in the right direction and much less distracting than they had been twelve hours prior.
“Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.” - 1 Peter 5:7
“Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.” - Matthew 11:28-30
I started these walks years ago because I came across a doctor advocating about how the sunrise and sunset lighting in the retina had amazing mind and health benefits. So I started forcing myself outside for short walks just to move my body and get some fresh air during the winter months. But now, each morning and evening, these walks fill my cup in such a way I just know the Lord is blessing my time with him.
Do yourself a favor, start small if you need to, but set aside some time outside to be with the Lord every day. Bring him your troubles. He has better plans for your day than to stew and worry on your problems that he is so capable of handling for you!
Happy Friday, Ladies–
Ashley
Most days, my mornings look pretty much the same. I stumble out of bed to make my way to use the bathroom and brush my teeth. By the time I arrive back into my room, I’m awake enough to make my bed and throw on some warmer clothes. I grab my water bottle that is perfectly chilled in the fridge and I head outside for a walk to wake up in the fresh air. I call this time, “My God alarm”.
At some point during the walk, I end up waking up a bit more and start talking to God
I notice things on these walks that I wouldn’t otherwise notice. I allow my mind to be slow and my heart to be open. But on this particular walk, I had gone to bed with a heavy heart and it wasn’t opening as quickly as I had hoped.Knowing I was struggling, I began giving God all my problems. The ones I didn’t know how to fix and the ones I was certain I did. “This is what I’ll do next”, I caught myself thinking, and just like that I had turned my time with the Lord into my time to take control
But how was that working out for me? I had taken control the night before and I woke up feeling exhausted. So I just stopped. I stopped to notice three geese flying overhead, took a couple of deep breaths, and apologized to the Lord for being such a control freak.The day went on and after dinner, as I often do, I headed out for my evening walk. As I headed up our backyard hill, the sun was shining, the wind was still, and just like most of the snow, so many of my morning problems had melted away. No, they weren’t all gone or solved but they were headed in the right direction and much less distracting than they had been twelve hours prior.
“Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.” - 1 Peter 5:7
“Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.” - Matthew 11:28-30
I started these walks years ago because I came across a doctor advocating about how the sunrise and sunset lighting in the retina had amazing mind and health benefits. So I started forcing myself outside for short walks just to move my body and get some fresh air during the winter months. But now, each morning and evening, these walks fill my cup in such a way I just know the Lord is blessing my time with him.
Do yourself a favor, start small if you need to, but set aside some time outside to be with the Lord every day. Bring him your troubles. He has better plans for your day than to stew and worry on your problems that he is so capable of handling for you!
Happy Friday, Ladies–
Ashley
