2016 was a burn out year. Sacrifice proceeds success and boy were we successful! Mission trip, fundraisers, new members, interviews, national recognition, global contributions and a stellar fashion show... we were certainly busy! (Praise God!)
But, what comes up, must come down. And as we are entering this new year of 2017, The Lord, in His gentle way, has given us a new and fresh vision for this year: Rest.
In our busy and ever moving society, we tend to see this word, "rest", as a lazy term. To rest means to pause, to not do, to wait. We get anxious in the waiting and restless in the resting, but sometimes, that is the most dire state of being in order to hear more clearly from the Lord.
"Be still and know that I am God"! ~ Psalm 48:10
To know means to trust, to place one's belief in and to have confidence in. In our resting, we can have confidence that God is preparing our hearts for something great that only He can give. But we cannot expect to receive that vision if we are always busy.
Last year, was certainly full of success for us and no doubt, this year will be also. But success requires following the Lord (Proverbs 2:7). He is our guide to do what is right and fruitful. His voice is required to make sure we are following the paths to prosperity that He has purposed for us. And so, as we wait patiently on the Lord, we will be taking a look inwardly this year- focusing on our inner man, our personal relationships with God and with each other. We will be seeking the Lord for His voice, for His instruction and for His blessings and for the opportunities that He has in store for us.
I think we all need a good rest from time to time. We all need a little "me" time and we all need a lot of "God" time. When we spend ourselves on Him and place ourselves in dependency to know His desires and follow His instructions, we will not need to worry about the outcome.
More of God and less of us!
Happy New Year to you all!
-Katrina McCain + Pearls of Hope
