![]() After the wandering Israelites had roamed in the desert of confusion for 40 years, the Lord’s command for them going into Canaan was this: “‘When you enter the land I am going to give you, the land itself must observe a sabbath to the Lord. For six years sow your fields, and for six years prune your vineyards and gather their crops. But in the seventh year the land is to have a year of sabbath rest, a sabbath to the Lord. Do not sow your fields or prune your vineyards. Do not reap what grows of itself or harvest the grapes of your untended vines. The land is to have a year of rest. Whatever the land yields during the sabbath year will be food for you—for yourself, your male and female servants, and the hired worker and temporary resident who live among you” (Leviticus 25:2-6). Are you spinning your wheels getting nowhere but hurt and confused with men or women? Do you need a rest from dating or relationships? Time away from the frustration of trying to make something work with the opposite gender? Maybe you've been sowing in the wrong places or at the wrong times? Do you need some time just for YOU….no straining…to rest your land? Maybe it’s time for a relationship Sabbath…time to step away from romantic relationships. One definition Noah Webster gives the word Sabbath is an “Intermission of pain or sorrow; time of rest.” …rest your emotions…get or regain your bearings. In this scripture, the Lord instructed the Israelites to take "a sabbath of rest, a Sabbath to the Lord". Would it make sense to rest from relationships and do it with Him in mind. This Sabbath time, a time of rest, is for the Lord and you together…time to establish a relationship with Him, time to grow in closeness with Him and develop yourself and life with Him…a time solely with Him. As the scripture says, whatever and all this Sabbath time yields will be for YOU. And the people closest to you will also reap the food or benefits as you rest, heal, grow and flourish. If it’s called for, consider this Sabbath as doing something nice for yourself, for the Lord, for the others around you. Rest your land.
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![]() I’m typically not a light sleeper; I roll into bed, fall out, get my rest and am not bothered by much. A month ago I had trouble sleeping for a few nights in a row. One of the reasons was a most ANNOYING, disturbing noise the commode was making throughout the night. Just when I started to fall asleep, it would make this loud HISSSSSSS noise that would stretch out for about 5 very long seconds. Back to square one…starring at the ceiling was I. I awoke in the morning groggy, irritable and worn out. I didn’t keep my lack of sleep and agony a secret. My friend said, “That’s not normal. There’s something wrong in the tank. The fill valve is broken. Water is filling in the tank when it shouldn’t be. Yeah, that needs replacement.” So I called Maintenance and they replaced the fill valve. Do the dynamics of this story sound like you? You’re not perfect, but you’re a caring person. You roll with things, you’re easy going and don’t make much into issues? But what about when something really does bother you? God gave us triggering emotions that sometimes let us know something is wrong and not up to par. Perhaps an example would be when you’re in a relationship and it’s not feeling right or good to you. It’s hurting you. Maybe you feel you’re not treated with honor and respect. Maybe it’s keeping you awake at night; you're losing sleep. Maybe something about the other person or relationship is yelling at you loudly in the face. Maybe something’s not right. The relationship isn't God honoring? Maybe there's a broken part; maybe it’s broke. Have a heart to heart with God about what to do--repair or replace. Then follow his voice and direction. Make the call. Get your rest. I never thought I’d be writing about a toilet part and certainly not in relation to relationships. ![]() “Take delight in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart” says Psalm 37:4. God satisfies or “gives” us our desires…the desires that He has put within our hearts that line up with His will. I bet when you read the word desire here, you don’t have to search far in your heart for the ones that mean the most or the ones that you’ve been holding on for the longest. But also, Jesus satisfies our yearnings--those unfulfilled desires--our anticipations and our anxieties that occur as we are waiting for the manifestation of that thing. He fulfills even up until that thing has actually come to pass or come to be received into your hands and life. I was singing the lyrics “He satisfies my desires”. Besides salvation itself, this is one of the things I appreciate most about Jesus. He satisfies; He makes it and my heart okay right where I am at now…right in my very current situation. So no matter what we are asking, seeking and waiting for--a job/career, a wife, a husband, a change in financial status, a child—Jesus satisfies even right now. “For He satisfies the longing soul,and fills the hungry soul with goodness” (Psalm 107:9 NKJV). TBN (Trinity Bible Network) TV is celebrating 40 years of ministry over the air and more. Founder Paul Crouch was reminiscing about the early days of their shows. Paul said to his wife Jan, “Remember when we didn’t have any guests on and we used to interview each other?” Isn’t that how we should look to continue to interact in our future marriages…interviewing each other? What’s important to you lately? What do you remember most about…” What is running through your heart as of late? Tell me how you pulled that off? What do you hope to see happen in…? By interviewing, we can continue to know our spouse deeply and keep the intimacy in the relationship.
And so many years later, as Jan Crouch watched the old blooper reruns of their shows, she had such a bubbly laugh. As we mature in life, we will do well to keep the joy of the Lord bubbling up within our hearts and running over to the outside. That blesses your soul, a spouse, the world and God. “The Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone”’ (Genesis 2:18). ![]() Are you an analytical person? I am. I’m learning to balance this with prayer and trust. Some of us have a tendency to over think things to get it all right and make sure we are in the perfect will of God before starting things. Wanting to be in the perfect will of God is good! It’s good and brings great benefits! But sometimes if we’ve pondered and pondered something over long periods of time with some double mindedness, doubt or fear, we may just have to “go down that road” to test the waters. I’ve heard three godly men recently making points to not over think things. I’m inspired by them. It’s all a balance. We can even over-analyze prospective relationships too much. A relationship expert once shared with a woman who was ambivalent in going forward with a man, “Have fun with this too. Don’t miss the beauty of falling in love by overthinging it .” Yes, be prayerful, wise and cautious. God will stop you before you get to the next city if the relationship is not to be. “Falling in love” is a many splendored thing too. Enjoy it like you would the scenery along the way to Tennessee--the volumes of lush trees, the grand mountain sides, the beautiful open sky they set against. Enjoy stretching your legs at the stops along the way for your favorite coffee and snacks—your favorite things you learn about each other. Enjoy even getting a little lost on the drive to Tennessee or getting in a little misunderstanding. Even a slight misunderstanding can be memorable and better when you’re on your way to somewhere good. You’ll pray and watch the signs (right way or wrong way) along the way. Enjoy falling in love. Don’t miss the bliss of it. Enjoy the ride to Tennessee. ![]() A lady shared her circumstance with me. When she was in her former relationship, she was spurring the relationship onto marriage more than the man was. She was planting verbal seeds for marriage. Ladies, you are some of the best leaders…some of the best organizers and orchestrators of wonderful things. What an incredible trait! But don’t let that leadership trait show up full force in a relationship that hasn’t gotten off the ground yet or that doesn’t seem to be crossing the finish line when you want it to. Ladies, sometimes you may feel like “Don’t make me lead…cause I will.” You’ve got the wherewithal. But curtail, curtail. Give up the lead role. Start a business or a ministry or call to action for something else, but don’t be the “call to action” woman in a relationship. You want to be the leading lady in his life…the one he’s chasing after, not the leader. If you’ve been round the mountain with a man in a relationship for years, okay, maybe you have to tell him it’s time for a choice one way or the other. That should be the limit of your trying to move something on or off the fence. The man has to be the driving force for action. They may not even realize it, but this is the position where they are most fulfilled. Jesus loved us first. “We love because he first loved us” (1st John 4:19). And boy, does God love you! |
Wisdom & encouragement to share with others!
AuthorDenise Flynn writes about Singleness, Relationships, Goal Obtainment & the Christian walk. Order Archives
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