"I lie down and sleep; I wake again, because the LORD sustains me." Psalm 3:5
"I will not fear the tens of thousands drawn up against me on every side." Psalm 3:6
"I will lie down and sleep in peace, for you alone, O LORD, makes me dwell in safety." Psalm 4:8
Dear Lilies,
Are you getting ready for bed? Or are you about to embark on a sleepless night? Are you cozied up on your bed, nestled under your ultra-plush throw? Standing by the printer or waiting on your sheets to get out of the dryer?
I’m currently thinking of how comfy my bed is and how glorious it will be when I get to crawl into my cocoon after this long day.
Goodnight, moon. Goodnight, stars. Goodnight my poor parched potted succulents. Goodnight worry. Goodnight regret. Goodnight Tuesday. Goodnight, Dear Lilies… would you mind if a shared a goodnight letter with you?
What is a good night? And why do we bid night good riddance each evening, as we slowly slip into slumber?
Is it a good-night if we were never to wake? Is it a good night, if it was a not good day?
Do you ever think about the fact that the sun rises each morning?
And, what about the sun in the evening? It’s daylight savings and we all feel slightly warped to the left. We aren’t really tired when we would usually be passed out, and when our alarms go off in the morning, it’s like someone just hit a gong atop our eardrum in our deepest rem cycle.
I don’t know about you, but I have been so wound up lately with all the s t u f f of my little life, my brain feels jammed to the point of overload. I feel convicted of the minute study and time in the Word and much time in the World. I’m not going and doing anything out of the ordinary off-the-chain-wild-side, but I just mean like the hum-drum business of this happy little thing we call life. But what is LIFE if we are not living? What is living, if we have nothing to LIVE for?
This letter is a bit (no, maybe QUITE) all over the place. I’ve not written to you in some time due to the very thing I am (attempting) to write about. I tried to justify my take of leave by saying I was on an “unexpected sabbatical”…. But let’s be real, I didn’t actually spend the last 2.5 weeks relishing in & soaking up all the goodness God has to offer us when we study and learn. I’ve just been “doing life” and maybe kind of lame-ily pushing through. But do I have to continue this way?
No.
Yes, my schedule is jam-packed. But guess what? I made it that way. Yeah, I “have to” do everything I am doing. But if I want to have peace that surpasses all understanding, I have to cast all my cares (all this s t u f f) on the one who Cares for me. And this peace of God will guard my heart and mind, forever.
Last Monday, I sat with a beloved friend on the crunchy white sand Pensacola beach with the wind whipping our hair like streamers in a sandstorm. We laughed as we sat there, bundled up in fleeces, happy as clams that we could just be there, sitting and staring at the waves. Without having to verbalize it, we both had a peace about us that enabled us to enjoy that moment more richly than had ever been possible for either of us. We have been friends for 9 years. A lot has happened in 9 years. We both have changed. We both have been and continue to be amazed by what God is doing in our lives, and what He was doing when we had no clue what was going on. It was a precious moment in time and we simultaneously looked at each other and stated how great the Grace of our Savior is. How precious, awesome, jaw-dropping and wonderful it is that we can sit there in our sinful bodies, aware of our faults and continued failures and have peace in our souls that God is good and that we are His. That he loves us, regardless of ourselves. Oh, dear sisters, it truly is a priceless and most beautiful truth!
Because of His Grace, we are able to stand, sit and run fearlessly in freedom with all joy.
No fear! Dear lilies, no fear can separate us from the LOVE Christ Jesus has for us. We must only fear HIM, the only one worthy to be praised. The only one who is worth our reverence and complete desire.
I have school (personal favorite), work (shout out new job woop-woop), marriage (hey JB thanks for literally not allowing me to get into my PJ’s until I wrote this letter…), moving into a new home, summer plans (…I’ll keep ya posted) and oh, the list goes on…
But as the eyes droop and the mind starts to wander, I must remember the one who sustains me. No matter how hard I try, no matter how much good I do, no matter how much I may completely screw up.
The LORD sustains me. Dear Lilies, the LORD sustains you. And because of this, we can sleep. And because of this, we can rest. And because of this, dear Lilies, we will wake, praising His name, our King on High.
Goodnight & sweet dreams,
love xx
Sarah