Day 035: Sunday a Day of Rest for a Reason

I wrote the last two posts explaining first how I tend to bite off more than I can chew and then experience overwhelm. The next post explained how to handle overwhelm with confidence and clarity. I stand by that, but God always has more to teach us – me most off all! I still have so much to learn!

Over the years I’ve gotten much better at handling whatever life throws at me. It doesn’t mean I love it, but it means I know I can look at crisis and wonder what lesson God will help me learn as I go through it. I can appreciate the stress because I know it will produce another way of looking at the world that I had not considered before. There are so many good things to come out of struggle, and some of my life’s biggest traumas – no, ALL of my life’s biggest traumas – have also led to my greatest life lessons. I’ve learned the most about myself, those around me, and our Creator in difficult times.

But I’ve learned something else too.

Sometimes you need to step back and admit you cannot do everything. You have to fold up your cards and quit the game – or at least put the game on hold for a bit. That’s what happened yesterday.

I realized, as I was putting together the Live Not Ordinary Challenge, that I was running into walls I had not anticipated and did not have the skills or time to fix. There were tech issues and things that should have worked that just did not for whatever reason. Add to that battles I was facing outside of the Challenge for things that were largely out of my control, and I had to bite the bullet and admit I just could not do it all.

I’d prayed on it as I do through just about everything. My prayer is more of a conversation with God sometimes, where I just chat to Him and wait to feel His response. He knows what I want to do with this Challenge. I feel He is in agreement with me and is actually the one who put this on my heart. I also feel that He’s been telling me to slow down, it’s not the right time yet.

So when I tried all I could to keep my word to those who signed up and things were still not shaping up as I’d hoped, I made the decision to postpone the full launch. I emailed participants and let them know what was going on. I explained that I was grateful for them taking a risk in signing up and that I hoped they’d stay and do this again when I relaunched but that I needed to take time to do this program right. I knew I’d lose money, but I offered to refund their investment if they wanted to back out. It was the right thing to do. I hit send on each email and just breathed.

I was amazed at how much peace came from my decision. I’d acted in accordance with God’s Will. It reminded me that He is in control and does what works for our best interest when we trust Him.

This was all yesterday, Mother’s Day, Sunday.

I put the program on hold rather than launch disciplines that were incomplete or subpar. What’s more I put the Challenge aside for an entire day, something I don’t do easily. I put my full attention on my boys who were there to celebrate Mother’s Day with me. Had I not chosen to follow God’s advice telling me to postpone this project, I’m guessing I’d have missed out on time with my kids. God knows I did enough of that when they were younger and I had to work!

Wen we act in accordance with God’s Commandments and Trust our results to Him, we are rewarded. The reward does not always happen here, on this Earth or in this lifetime, but I assure you they always happen.

The Peace I felt Sunday and the focus and peace and renewed confidence and calm that carried over into today, reminded me of how important taking a break is. It also reminded me that we are Commanded to take a break once a week on Sundays. The second Commandment is to “Keep Holy the Lord’s Day.”

With all the running and busyness we attach ourselves to and all the things we have to get done, I am reminded of the power of Mary sitting at the feet of Jesus while Martha ran around doing chores and resenting her sister. Jesus Commands us to rest and give just one day a week to Him. It seems so counterintuitive to do so, but in reality it is a matter of Trust. If we work as hard as we can six days a week, we must Trust in God to take care of the seventh. That Trust is what it takes to Live, Not Ordinary.

And it is what it takes to bring Peace and Love back into hour homes, our Churches, and our Country. When no one will listen and you cannot control anyone but you, be the model. Even if you cannot set aside a whole day at first, dedicate an hour or two of quiet and serving and listening to God at home. Build up that Trust over time. Train yourself to Trust the Lord by taking time on Sunday to just be with Him.

I’ll also add that one Challenge participant already wrote back saying it was okay that I had to postpone the challenge. She understood and gave me ideas of what I can do to make it better. Had I pushed through, I never would have learned these lessons. She showed me grace and encouraged me to be gentle with myself.

Being gentle is a trait I am working on rather than one that comes easy. It is my form of Live, Not Ordinary. It is something I will try. I will also work to make Sundays a day of rest for my boys and me. I don’t know what I’ll do during those Sunday down times, but I do know something…

Jesus, I trust in You.

If I want to be a Saint, and a great one, I need to trust more and keep His Commandments. I will start to make Sundays my Holy Days. Will you join me?

God Bless.

Gratitude Journal – May 15, 2023

Thank You Lord for…

1. Yesterday…S’s text.
2. The boys all coming the Mass with me!
3. Hope that they long for the Eucharist and the Body of Christ
4. Hope He will guide them home.
5. pastries for breakfast!
6. Cody’s soccer game.
7. AXE THROWING!!!
8. So much fun with the guys!
9. Seeing meema.
10. R for offering to make dinner.
11. Sitting at the fel of My Mary so she did not feel like she was forgotten this Mother’s Day too.
12. The awareness of needing to put the Challenge aside for a bit.
13. The hope that it will come back better and more beautiful than ever!
14. Playing battleship with C.
15. Sending the Guardian Angels to battle for my family!
16. Knowing they stand at attention and can win this fight!!!
17. Hope y family will come Home!
18. Getting the books counted.
19. Following along with the pre-Mass reading.
20. Getting so much of the U 10 answer key done!
21. After school kids who want their grades to go up.
22. Peace, a good tiredness, time today.
23. Understanding that it’s not just okay that I don’t write here on Sundays, it’s mandatory!
24. Texts from my boys!
25. Getting some of the garden planted today.
26. The new calculators for this unit.
27. Ice cream I won’t eat again until my fast is done.
28. Having a plan.
29. B’s email.
30. So many more things that I cannot even fit them all into this book.
31. The Gospel of John that ends even better than my above bullet point. How I cannot wait for Saint John to explain all those storeis!
32. BED!