Where is your resting place? 

Yesterday, as I sat with the Lord, cup of coffee in-hand, I opened my Bible directly to Jeremiah 50:6:

"My people have been lost sheep; their shepherds have caused them to go astray and caused them to roam on the mountains.  They have gone from mountain to hill, they have forgotten their resting place."

The final words of this verse stood out as if they were boldly written and highlighted just for me: 

They have forgotten their resting place.

I instantly felt hot tears flood my eyes, knowing it was exactly meant for me.

To be honest, my squad and I have walked through a lot over the course of the last month; we were quarantined (and all separated, countries apart) for nearly a month; we experienced many abrupt, painful goodbyes (or no goodbyes at all) as our close brothers and sisters left the race; and we have experienced a fair amount of squad politics and division.  

A lot of this has personally affected me more than I had realized.  

I thought I was mostly fine.  That is, until I sat across from my good friend this morning, sharing my heart about everything, as tears streamed down my face.  

The answer was written all over her face; she had no idea I had been going through so much.  I had suppressed a lot over the course of the last month.  I explained to her that I had been coping in avoidant ways, rather than finding my resting place in the Lord.  

Resting in the Lord means taking everything to the Lord, laying it all at his feet, and allowing him to take on all our burdens.

"In you, Lord my God, I put my trust." Psalm 25:11

Today, I am choosing to intentionally continue to realign my heart with the Father's and lay my hardships and heartaches at His feet.

"Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you." 1 Peter 5:7

It's often easy for me to turn to friends, movies, social media, exploration, and even ministry to avoid sitting with the hard things before Jesus. 

However, we are not called to do this.  We are called to sit at the feet of Jesus, troubles and all, as we welcome him into these areas of our lives to make right what has gone wrong (and to thank him for all the good!)

Jesus takes what the enemy means for evil and turns it to good. 

"You planned evil against me; God planned it for good to bring about the present result—the survival of many people." Genesis 50:20

Take whatever is on your heart today—painful, good, and ugly—to the Lord Jesus.  Set it at his feet and rest in His presence today.

"I sought the Lord, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears." Psalm 34:4