| Inspiration: Victorious Way of Living
| Inspiration
BROKEN BUT PRICELESS:
‘Tis the Season
for Exhaustion
CLOSE THE DOOR
by: Erin Austin
TO WORRY
houses to decorate, and people are overcome with exhaustion. I don’t know
about you, but exhaustion is not the first thing that comes to mind when I
think about Thanksgiving and Christmas. Yet for many people living with a
chronic illness, “overwhelming” and “exhausting” are the two words which most
often come to mind when they think of the holidays.
Admittedly, everyone does more during this time of year. There are people
to see, parties to attend, and presents to buy. This is stressful enough for a
healthy individual, but for the one who is sick, it’s a season of unrealistic
expectations placed on her or himself by the individual, which often leads to
extreme fatigue and sickness. So during the rush of the holiday season, these
By: Dr. Grace Nichols
individuals are more prone to overdo, which can cause the body to physically
crash. As a result, family gatherings are often missed and parties with friends
are skipped.
Having been the one who’s had to miss Thanksgiving and Christmas gatherings,
I know how difficult it is to have to stay home resting when your family and
friends are together having a good time. As you enter the holiday season, make
“Knowing what you want is good, but
until you get your desire met, you
must walk by faith.”
what you desire to achieve in life, it seems you will agree
faith is essential. Knowing what you want is good, but until
you get your desire met, you must walk by faith. Hebrews
11:1 says, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, and
the evidence of things not seen.” This is what I call faith in
action. Faith activates the power of God in your life. Faith
has a window to your heart and mind and is constantly
activating God’s promises in your life. Jesus, answering his
disciples in Mark 11:23-24 said unto them,” For verily I say
unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be
thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not
doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which
he said shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he said.
Therefore I say unto you, what things so ever ye desire, when
ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.”
6 WOMENOFSTANDARD.ORG
|
NOVEMBER 2013
By: Elizabeth White
pumpkin, family gatherings and parties abound, there’s shopping to be done,
WINDOW
OF FAITH
W
It is
FINALLY
Here!
It’s that time of year – the time when food and beverages are seasoned with
& OPEN YOUR
here are you now? What do you want in life?
Just know that faith is the answer to unlocking
the door to your complete fulfillment. No matter
Revealing the Esther Within
Isn’t it amazing that God wants to give us the very desires
of our heart by faith? I had to ask myself the question,
“Why would God be so interested and invested in seeing
our hearts desires met?” The answer that kept coming to
me was because He placed those desires there. We did not
know what to think or even what to want. And if you think
about it, your desires are always larger than what you can
achieve yourself. It goes back to God’s promises, which is to
give you the desires (the very things He placed in your heart)
and since God placed it there, you know it has to line up
with God’s will and plan for your life.
Let me pause to encourage you right now. Do not give up on
your dreams or desires. No matter how large or unreachable
your dreams and heart’s desires are, they shall come to pass,
just like Jesus said. It is not for you to worry about how it’s
going to happen. You can now close the door to worry and
open the window of faith. It is God’s responsibility to make
it happen, not yours!
a plan for how you will handle the busyness of the season so that you won’t do
too much and become too exhausted to enjoy this special time. Listed below
are a few guidelines I’ve discovered that help prevent holiday exhaustion.
1.
When scheduling events, make sure you leave at least two-three nights
per week open on the calendar to rest.
2.
Decide in advance which events are non-negotiable; these are the
events you aren’t willing to miss. Then, rate the remainder of events by
importance. Which events do you prefer to attend, and what events are
okay to miss?
3.
Get 7-8 hours of sleep every night.
4.
Order as many presents online as you can. If you can purchase others’
gifts without fighting crowds at the mall, it will help preserve your
energy.
5.
When you purchase a gift, have the store wrap it. Most stores offer this
for free if you ask, and most online stores will send the present wrapped
for a minimal fee.
6.
Prepare meals that can be frozen now and then thawed and heated to
serve at a later date.
Although these steps won’t guarantee that you won’t do too much and become
exhausted this holiday season, they will help you do more of what you want.
And remember, it’s okay to say no. You don’t have to attend every event. The
point of this season is to worship God and cherish those you love, something
that’s hard to do when you’re passed out from exhaustion. So make a plan,
enjoy your family and friends, and don’t let this be the season for exhaustion!
“
This is the time that the saints
rise up and go after the things of
God; realizing that He has paved
the way.
T
he moment we have all been waiting for is finally here! Your
break F