Finding Rest in God: How to Create Space
The tamaracks are losing their needles again. They fall like golden flecks of rain, a gift from the Father of heavenly lights. I stop in the middle of the country road and let one fall into my open palm. I’m here because finding rest in God often comes most naturally to me beneath open skies.
I’ve been longing for a touch from heaven lately, and I’m revisiting an experiment I tried a while back.
It’s an experiment in being intentional about seeking God beneath open skies for just a few minutes each day.
Finding Rest in God
I need space for this weary and burdened soul to stretch heavenward with the tamaracks.
Some deep part of me craves space to lean into the One who holds my world together.
I long for space to remind myself that the Maker of all things really is right here with me.
In this day and age, I wonder if you just might need it too. Perhaps your soul could use a brush with Majesty. Maybe finding a quiet place to connect with your Creator could breathe life into the parts of you that are wilting and withering.
Finding Rest in God Beneath Open Skies
The first time I carved out space to intentionally connect with God beneath open skies, it was summer.
I’d just read a study citing various physiological benefits of spending time in nature, including a decrease in stress hormones, blood pressure, and heart rate. Some trees even release aerosols that increase immune-fighting cells and reduce fatigue.
Science is discovering the restorative qualities of God’s created world.
I decided to test out these theories, but I made one adjustment. I decided to spend two months connecting with God outside every day and see if I emerged changed.
Returning to Open Skies
My experiment was a couple of years ago now, and I did emerge changed.
However, shortly after my journey to open skies officially drew to a close, I was blessed with a pregnancy, which also included severe illness.
As I lay ill on the couch for months, the days with God in wild and holy places felt like a surreal dream from a different lifetime.
I tried to drag my hyperemesis-hazed body to open skies each day, but it was a hard season.
It’s been over a year since that journey through pregnancy and the adjustment to a third little person in the house, but I have decided it’s time. It’s time to be intentional about seeking God beneath open skies again.
Stepping outside to seek God offers benefits we can’t find inside the house.
We reap the physiological benefits of time in nature.
We step away from the distractions that often pull us away from the quiet place with God.
Lastly, we leave the temptation to fold laundry, stir the soup, or wipe the smudges from the windowpanes.
Your Turn to Rest With God
I begin my journey today with a unique invitation for you as well.
Do you need space for your soul to stretch long, space to reach out and touch God in a way that fills you in a lasting way?
Today, I invite you to join me on a journey to create space for your soul to stretch – to carve out just a few minutes a day to let the chaos settle inside your soul and connect with God in a way that breathes life into you.
Throughout the next seven weeks on the blog, I will be writing with invitations to create space for your soul to stretch. I am also offering my new online devotional Space for Your Soul to Stretch as my free gift to you.
This devotional is an 8-day journey to carve out just 12 minutes per day to connect with God beneath open skies. Each day includes a personal reflection as well as an invitation for you to soak in God’s presence and let him transform you as you spend time in nature, take a stroll around the block, or simply sit by a window.
Each day of our journey, we will spend a few minutes shaking off our cares and resting in God’s presence.
By his power, we will emerge replenished, rejuvenated, and transformed.
A Free Devotional for Finding Rest in God
If you’d like to take this journey, click here for your 8-day devotional Space for Your Soul to Stretch: An Invitation to Encounter God in His Created World.
These two books are free on Kindle Unlimited or available to purchase in print:
God wants to work in your life to accomplish what you’ve been unable to do through willpower alone. Lean Into Grace: Let God’s Grace Heal Your Heart, Refresh Your Soul, and Set You Free shares practical ways to experience God’s freedom, healing, power, and presence in your life. Find this life-changing book for free on the Kindle Unlimited plan or for 12.99 in print right here. This book will transform your life and revitalize your relationship with the Lord!
Calling all mothers and daughters!
Additionally, my 12-year-old daughter, Bekah, and I wrote a mother-daughter devotional book to help mothers and daughters grow closer together while connecting with God. Girl to Girl: 60 Mother-Daughter Devotions for a Closer Relationship and Deeper Faith includes 60 devotions with Scripture, commentaries from both of us, conversation starters, and even a shared journaling section. Multitudes of mothers, daughters, mentors, and younger women are being transformed by this book! You can find your free Kindle Unlimited eBook or buy it in print for just 11.99 right here.
