I have been feeling restless lately. As I try to drill down to what is causing this feeling I can’t quite put my finger on it. The feeling of restlessness is uncomfortable and a little sad. It’s knowing there is something inside that is not being tended to while not knowing what or how to tend it. It’s praying without direction. It’s leaning into discomfort. It is also trusting that all will, eventually, be well with my soul. 

The Bible has a lot to say about discomfort. In Isaiah 41:10 God reminds us to not be dismayed. In John 14:27 we are reminded that God is different from the world and will give us peace. The Bible reminds us over and over that we are not ever alone. In the good times and bad times, in the uncertainty of trying new things and in the lazy comfort of the everyday, God is with us. 

Maybe my restlessness comes from the weather changing, or seeing how fast we are approaching the end of the year. In reality, it probably doesn’t matter what is causing it. I think my job is to rest in God’s love, take time to feel the world as I perceive it and adjust my view to see the glorious here and now. 

I invite everyone who may be feeling a little restless or off balance to take a moment, read a devotion and rest in God’s love. May I recommend a Bible verse and a poem - both of which are go-to places of comfort for me. 

 

Psalm 25

In you, Lord my God, I put my trust.
I trust in you; do not let me be put to shame, nor let my enemies triumph over me.
No one who hopes in you will ever be put to shame, but shame will come on those who are treacherous without cause.
Show me your ways, Lord, teach me your paths.
Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long.
Remember, Lord, your great mercy and love, for they are from of old.
Do not remember the sins of my youth and my rebellious ways; according to your love remember me, for you, Lord, are good.
Good and upright is the Lord; therefore he instructs sinners in his ways.
He guides the humble in what is right and teaches them his way.
All the ways of the Lord are loving and faithful toward those who keep the demands of his covenant.
For the sake of your name, Lord, forgive my iniquity, though it is great.
Who, then, are those who fear the Lord?
He will instruct them in the ways they should choose.
They will spend their days in prosperity, and their descendants will inherit the land.
The Lord confides in those who fear him; he makes his covenant known to them.
My eyes are ever on the Lord, for only he will release my feet from the snare.
Turn to me and be gracious to me, for I am lonely and afflicted.
Relieve the troubles of my heart and free me from my anguish.
Look on my affliction and my distress and take away all my sins.
See how numerous are my enemies and how fiercely they hate me.
Guard my life and rescue me; do not let me be put to shame, for I take refuge in you.
May integrity and uprightness protect me, because my hope, Lord, is in you.
Deliver Israel, O God, from all their troubles!

 

Wild Geese | Mary Oliver

You do not have to be good.

You do not have to walk on your knees

for a hundred miles through the desert, repenting.

You only have to let the soft animal of your body

love what it loves.

Tell me about despair, yours, and I will tell you mine.

Meanwhile the world goes on.

Meanwhile the sun and the clear pebbles of the rain

are moving across the landscapes,

over the prairies and the deep trees,

the mountains and the rivers.

Meanwhile the wild geese, high in the clean blue air,

are heading home again.

Whoever you are, no matter how lonely,

the world offers itself to your imagination,

calls to you like the wild geese, harsh and exciting–

over and over announcing your place

in the family of things.