Slow Down
Baby Girl,
Slow down. You’re in self-will.
Stop. Stop what you’re doing. Find a quiet corner to sit with Me.
You’re doing it again. You’re running against - in opposition to - the pace of grace. You’re striving. You’re straining. You’re operating out of self-will. You’ve been laying out your day before Me rather than waiting on Me, and I’ve let you. I’ve been curious how far ahead of Me you’d be willing to run.
How’s that wrist? A little achy now, isn’t it? I healed it as you came into alignment with My will for what you’d do with it. I’m not saying you’re using it in sinful ways but are you asking Me what I want to say through it?
You are using FAR TOO MANY words when people seek you out. When you get a text that seems to beg a response, stop what you are doing immediately, find a quiet corner, and ask Me how to respond. If you don’t have time to pause and talk to Me, don’t open your text messages. There is very little in life that you need to treat with urgency, especially if it is not yours to handle in the first place.
Much of what people are coming to you in need of is a timely word. My Word is powerful but remember what I said in Proverbs about a timely Word? Timing matters and you are unaware of My thoughts regarding timing when you answer every message when it comes in without talking to Me about it first.
Another thing we need to talk about is your headphones. They are a gift. They are good at drowning out the world to keep you engaged in worship or taking in the Word but they convey disrespect when you wear them in the presence of your family. Become SO DETACHED from them when your family is home that they almost forget you own them. Your time with Me should not rob from any other arena of your life, especially from time with your family. The same is true of your phone. PUT IT DOWN.
This summer you set boundaries with your phone through automatic notification and you became much less distracted. The building overwhelm you’re feeling is the direct consequence of unbalanced priorities. You have allowed your time with Me to happen at the expense of other God-given priorities, causing imbalance.
Your spirit is becoming fortified and your soul is being renewed at the expense of time with your husband and kids, taking good care of your home, and now you’re becoming aware that it is at the expense of your health as well. You are not being mindful in how you’re treating your body and it is quickly showing up physically in your flesh.
I healed your blood pressure. You will undo that if you continue neglecting sleep and choosing poorly when I signal hunger. By the way, when was the last time you experienced the physical signs of hunger? That is why you are 24 pounds heavier than you were 31 days ago. I created you with flashing neon signs that it’s time to eat but, to satisfy your flesh, you haven’t patiently waited for Me to turn the sign on once this month.
You’re running red lights with food and you’re experiencing the consequences. This is just a friendly reminder: I’ll let you go as far down this path as you choose but disease and premature death are where this path leads. You are tired today so, rather than focusing on your work, you’re debating cutting an hour off your day to get a quick nap before serving at the recovery community tonight. If you were wise with your time and responsible with your bedtime, you would never need a nap.
Illness is often a consequence of exhaustion. Exhaustion is often the consequence of poor time management, misplaced priorities, or both. You are operating in both. Your husband works hard affording you autonomy with how you use your time and you are misusing that privilege. Stop. Listen. Recalculate and redirect your days based on MY leading, not your longings. I will NEVER lead you into imbalance, even in the amount of time you spend with Me.
You have a long life with a lot of ministry in your future and you’ll be discovering more every single day for the rest of your life. You’re treating your search for My truth like an Easter egg hunt where 5,000 other kids are competing with you for the eggs. When the rope is pulled back, you all rush the field to get as many eggs as quickly as you can without cracking even one open to delight in what I placed inside.
I want you to shift your perspective. Imagine that I have set before you a field with 5,000 eggs that are all exquisitely designed and filled with delightful treasures, and you are THE ONLY CHILD attending the hunt. You have no competition and no timeline. My desire is that you would take time to notice the unique design on each shell before opening them to discover what is within BEFORE placing the egg in your basket and moving on to the next one.
Slow down. Listen to your mind, emotions, and body. Watch for My signals. You were not created to override them. When you do, you experience mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual distress. You weren’t created for sore wrists, tender feet, baggy eyes, or even saggy flesh. I never intended for you to experience anxiety and depression. You experience the symptoms of anxiety and depression LONG AFTER you have ignored the gentle hesitation I placed in your spirit to nudge you in the right direction.
I created you for more and much better than you are experiencing now. I created you to operate perfectly when you operate according to design. Imagine how well your car would run if you put water in the fuel tank instead of gas. Diabetes is down the path you’re on. Depression is down the path you’re on. If you continue down the path you’re on, surgery for your wrist awaits. If you suffer any of these things, it will be a natural consequence of your disobedience, not the enemy’s but yours. REPENT AND CHOOSE BETTER.
Remember that the enemy has no power other than the power of suggestion. When I gave you free will, that means My hands are off and SO ARE HIS unless one of us are invited to intervene. Your actions are the invitation for us to intervene.
Baby, quit asking for the wisdom of Solomon. You already have it. OPERATE IN IT. I’m not mad, I’m sad. Watching you experience the natural consequences of disobedience grieves My heart. I want so much more for you.
I LOVE you,
Daddy
Matthew 11:28-30
