Rest, Peace, Thankfulness

Many changes are coming again. I've enjoyed 8 weeks in the United States and am currently enjoying time with Mikayla before she heads back to college. We have enjoyed a nice Thanksgiving break.
On Tuesday December 3rd I'll be flying back to Davao.

This puts this mother's heart in a bit of turmoil. With one child in the United States and the rest of the family half way around the world, it is hard to leave the one to go to the others just as it has been difficult to be separated from my husband and three children to be here to help my oldest daughter.
Some of this is just natural, normal "going-to-college" transitions for child and mom.

God reminds me gently in His word to Rest. That is my one word that centers my mind on His word, His watchcare, His love.
I believe my Heavenly Dad desires me to pursue this Rest in all areas of my life, and especially in this new phase of mothering a college student from half way around the world, and the other three in "real time" once I return to Davao. I look forward to hugging my three blessings in Davao rather than just talking with them on the phone as we have for the past two months.

REST, PEACE, THANKFULNESS
Those are the three guideposts in my Christian life, in all my life.
To me, PEACE is synonomous with Rest.
And God commands me to be thankful in ALL things, to cast my cares on Him for He cares, and to rest in Him.

I pull out my Bible and read familiar passages about rest, that Jesus is my Prince of Peace, and that Him being the God of peace and rest commands me to let His peace, His rest rule in my heart.

In so many circumstances throughout the Bible, God commands us to seek His rest and peace, to be filled with His rest and peace, to find our rest and peace in Him. And to be thankful.

He reminds me, lovingly, to find my rest and peace in Him, not in my circumstances.
In reading His word, offering a simple prayer of repentence, or just praying, "God, help me, I feel overwhelmed. Please help me stay resting in You for You are my Prince of Peace. I thank You for Your leading and guiding in all my life."

He has been so faithful to combat my stress with His rest and peace when I am faithful to come to Him. I greatly desire for His rest and peace to rule in my heart as a mom, as a woman after His own heart. I don't want stress or exhaustion or emotions to rule my heart; just His Rest, His Peace, and Thankfulness to Him for all things.

The picture of Jerard resting on me reminds me that, as it says in Psalm 131, God wants me to rest on Him .....

O Lord, my heart is not lifted up; my eyes are not raised too high;
I do not occupy myself with things too great and too marvelous for me.
But I have calmed and quieted my soul, like a weaned child with its mother; like a weaned child is my soul within me.

Zephaniah 3:17
The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save;
he will rejoice over you with gladness;
he will quiet you by his love;
he will exult over you with loud singing.

Colossians 3:15-16
And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts,
to which indeed you were called in one body.
And be thankful.
Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly,
....with thankfulness in your hearts to God.