RETURN TO YOUR REST, MY SOUL

 Return to your rest, my soul,
for the Lord has been good to you.

Psalm 116:7 CSB

This past weekend our family had the heart wrenching task of saying goodbye to my grandparents home. My grandfather moved to heaven in 2019 and my grandmother followed in 2021, but we still had their home of nearly 60 years. Many times over the last few years I would go and just look out over the pasture, something that always brought peace and made me feel close to them. One thing I've learned with grief is that it never goes away. You never get over it. You just learn to live again.

After the loss of my grandfather, I slipped into a great depression. On the outside I functioned normally, on the inside I felt as thought I was dying. After being honest with my husband about my struggles and working towards healing, I began to feel as though I could breathe again. Then my grandmother passed and it started all over again. This time, however, I had the tools to help me. But visiting their home, seeing it empty, and knowing I'll never step foot inside again sent me in a spiral. That's when I read this verse in Psalm 116.

Return to your rest, my soul. God has been so good to you. To continue reading, please join me at Woman to Woman Ministries. Click HERE.

WEEKLY BLESSINGS {3.31.25}

For now the winter is past;
the rain has ended and gone away.
The blossoms appear in the countryside.
The time of singing has come, and
the turtledove’s cooing is heard in our land.
Song of Solomon 2:11-12

Spring is in full bloom. I love watching the earth come alive again. The trees budding. The grass turning green. Flowers blooming. Birds chirping. It is all so glorious.

This weekend was our final goodbye to my grandparents home and it was an emotional time for my family. My husband knew I was hurting, without me even telling him, and decided to take me for a drive to see the different trees in bloom. There was so much beauty, God truly is the master artist.

What is something you are thanking God for today?

Continuing to count God's sweet blessings...

3855. Visiting my grandparents house one last time. I miss them so much.

3856. Getting the power fixed on our camper. So thankful my husband can figure these things out.

3857. Walks in the sunshine.

3858. My husband's job and his desire to work hard.

3859. My husband driving me around to see beautiful trees in bloom.

It's your turn! Share something you are praising God for. I would love to rejoice with you.

WHEN SKIES AREN'T BLUE

What happens when a healthy physician wakes up sick, only to find out he has a disease that has no cure? That is exactly what happened to Dr. Andy Laurie.

Dr. Laurie was a healthy man who, along side his wife, was raising four children. Just before Christmas one year he became ill with what he thought was the flu. However, he never got better. He sought medical advice to find out he has a disease, one without a cure. After having a difficult and risky surgery, he now had another illness to deal with.

Illness often brings depression, bitterness, and confusion. We wonder why it happened and why we aren't getting better. But Dr. Laurie knew that he needed to go straight to God.

He says, "The starting point of healing when our skies turn dark is understanding that our God is very real. When the skies are the darkest in our life, it is not going to work to somehow just hope that God is true or wish that He is real -like some sort of fairy tale magic genie. At those moments we need to know! With 100% certainty, we need to know that God is real, and God is there for us regardless of what we are facing."

In When Skies Aren't Blue, Dr. Laurie shares his very real and ongoing battle with his health, but he also shares a prescription for when skies aren't blue, and the hope he has found in God. Whether you are dealing with your own health issues or maybe relational or financial issues, this book will encourage you.

To get your copy of When Skies Aren't Blue, click HERE. 

5 WAYS TO MAKE TIME TO REST

Let us, then, make every effort to
enter that rest, so that no one will fall
Into the same pattern of disobedience.
Hebrews 4:11 CSB

We live in a time where life is constantly on the go. It doesn't matter what season of life we are in, we are busy. Sometimes I look at my life now as a mostly empty nester and wonder how I accomplished all I have to do with four small kids.

With meals to cook, laundry to wash and dry and put away, dishes to do, floors to sweep, lawns to mow, kids to care for, school activities, sports practices and games, church attendance, church ministries, work, deadlines to meet, phone calls to make, and more, our day to day responsibilities have our head spinning. No wonder we live in a world full of exhausted, overwhelmed, and anxious people!

We prioritize so much of our life, except rest.

Rest is important -it's important to our physical, mental, and spiritual well-being. God didn't intend for us to constantly be on the go, He knew rest was vital to us. It even tells us in Genesis 2:2 that after "God had completed His work that He had done," He rested. God didn't rest because He was tired and wore out. He rested to show us the importance of rest.

Here are five ways to make time for rest.

To continue reading, please join met at Woman to Woman Ministries. Click HERE.

THE CHOSEN :THE LAST SUPPER {GIVEAWAY}

I am new to The Chosen. I am not a big TV watcher so I had just never taken the time to watch The Chosen, but recently began season 1. It is so incredible to see the Bible come to life in this way!

The Chosen is back for Holy Week, this time in theaters and in 3 parts. Part one (episodes 1-2) releases on March 28th; part two (episodes 3-5) releases on April 4th; and part three (episodes 6-8) releases on April 11th.

I just finished part one and it was so good. It makes you feel as though you are right there in the middle of what is going on.

Whether you have been a long time fan of The Chosen, are a new watcher like me, or have never heard of it before, this series is a must see and I highly encourage you to take the time out to head to the theater and see all three parts of The Chosen: The Last Supper.

Shot in a beautiful cinematic format, The Chosen: Last Supper brings the most pivotal week in history to audiences in this special three-part theatrical release. To find out more on where you can watch, click HERE.

Giveaway:
To enter to win a $10 Amazon gift card, please leave your name and email address in the comments. One winner will be chosen at random and emailed from jenifer@jenifermetzger.org on Monday, March 31st.