This time of year, I get restless. Winter is waning but spring hasn’t quite sprung.

Today, I woke up with my mind in a rough place. My head was full and the fight was on.

 

Do you ever wake up already needing rest?

Not just more sleep. But real rest. The kind that refreshes the soul ~ your mind, your will, your emotions. We need to seek peace that won’t panic. And rest that’s not easily rattled.

We soak in God’s Promises. 

Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. ~ Matt. 11:28-29, NLT

Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly. ~ Matt. 11:28-29, The Message

Freely and lightly?  Doesn’t that sound lovely? Jesus wants to walk with us. To teach us how to enjoy peace in our heart and mind. To live with real rest in our spirit and body.

Whether it’s 3 a.m. or 3 p.m., when restlessness shows up, we remember these beautiful promises.

Here’s a little trick to help you refocus:

• Remember ~ I am God’s cherished child.

• Engage ~ He wants to hear from me. So I’ll tell him about it. All of it.

• Surrender ~ With open hands and heart: “God, I give it all to you.”
• Trust ~ When I worry and overthink again, I say “Nope. God’s got this.” Then I think about my blessings, not my burdens.

 

What helps you when your thoughts are getting the best of you?  

I’d love to keep this conversation going.

Click Here to Contact Me 😊

💗☮

 

More  for  you! My friend, Julie Rebboah loves helping us keep our minds healthy. She is a Christian Mental Health & Wellness Coach. She specializes in helping adults overcome childhood trauma like abuse, neglect, and family dysfunction. Click here to read →  Finding Anxiety & Stress Relief ☮

I love Julie’s generosity too! She’s offering  you, my lovely readers, a 10% discount on her coaching. Here’s your discount code: RM2025

Thank you, Julie!

Are you stressed about the holidays? Do gatherings exhaust you and leave you feeling like you missed out? Maybe you’re in a new life season and just want to change things up a bit? Years ago, my family went to an apple orchard. My ten-year-old grandson, Braden, couldn’t get anyone to walk through the corn maze with him. So, with map in hand, he asked me again, “Come on Meema. I promise we won’t get lost and die in there.” I didn’t want to disappoint my grandson. There are a couple reasons why “yes” wasn’t the wisest answer. 1. I’m claustrophobic and 2. I was in peri-menopause. Physically, I was fine. But my pinging hormones caused random bouts of anxiety. Overwhelming, heart-pounding panic. After much deliberation, onward we went. Dry corn husks crunching under our feet. About 20 feet in, I lost my sense of direction and I was done. Irrational fear created terrifying stories in my head. I panicked, big time. Hence the text (picture above) to my husband. Jeff rescued me and finished the maze with Braden. Now, this memory makes me smile. I share it to remind us: It’s okay to change course. It’s okay to tap out.  It’s absolutely okay to put your needs first and say, “I can’t do this.”  Or “Let’s do something different.”  It’s good to accept our limitations. It’s right to choose what’s healthy for our mind, body, and spirit. Maybe this is the year to order dinner from a restaurant or a grocery store. Maybe it’s time to ask for help in the kitchen (I taught my granddaughter how to peel potatoes). Or maybe this is the year to just hang out and do a whole lot of nothing 😴 Whatever it is, let’s choose less mess and more time for what truly feeds our soul. How do you simplify and de-stress the holiday season?  ☮💗

I deal with depression every day. Sometimes it’s barely there, light and manageable. But, it’s often heavy and overwhelms me. That’s when I need to remember one of my favorite promises: “When you go through deep waters, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown. When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you.” ~ Isaiah 43:2 Did you see that? It says when. Not if or maybe. When we have difficulties. I guess it’s like a not-so-great promise inside some great and powerful promises. And “When you go through.” There’s movement here. We go through. We walk through. Therein lies our hope. And the best part? “I will be with you.”   God will. We will. Get through. Just keep moving forward. It might exhaust us and it may look like baby steps. But, with a bit of grit and a whole lot of grace, we will.get.through.  💗☮ Robin   📣 Check out my Speaking Gigs: Saturday, April 12, 2025 = Moline, Illinois. Come out and hear “Renew Your Mind” at the women’s Iron Sharpens Iron Conference. Spring 2025 = Copperas Cove, TX. Stay tuned for details! Do you need a guest speaker for your women’s group, conference, retreat, etc.? Reply to this email and let’s chat. 😊 📚 Book News: My book Uncover Your Divine Design  needs only 11 more reviews/star ratings. When we reach 50, Amazon will give it more visibility. That means more sales & more sale means the message of hope & healing is reaching more women 🙌🏻 Will you help me reach 50? Click here to leave a review or a ⭐rating.

In 2020, when the world got really weird, I wanted to send a little extra joy in my sister’s birthday card. Confetti was the logical conclusion. My sister called, thanked me for the card, and laughed about her extra surprise.

Mission accomplished. I made my sister giggle.

A few weeks later, I received a suspicious envelope in the mail from her. Wanna guess what was in it? The very same shiny balloon-shaped confetti that I sent her. I smiled for days … and now again as I think about it.

So for four years, every birthday card I give has confetti in it. I’m not sure how my daughters-in-law feel about this. But they open cards slowly these days. And my grandchildren open theirs outside.

This year, on my 60th, they got me back big time. As I opened gifts, my son snuck up behind me with a BIG bowl full of … yep, you guessed it …CONFETTI!!! 🎉

Hence, the picture above. My lap was full, my heart was full, and the floor was sparkly too.

Six weeks later, I still find a tiny balloon or birthday hat in a shoe, under the couch, or in the laundry. A smile just when I need it.

One of my favorite quotes is, “Kindness is free. Sprinkle that stuff like confetti.”

The way I see it, Joy is free too. I hope to always leave a little wherever I go. Life’s too short to not.

Do you know someone who needs a little pick-me-up? How can you pass on some kindness?

💗☮

Click Here to See My Book on Amazon 😎

 

🙏🏻Speaking Update: April 12-13, I’ll be in Houston speaking at Living Word Nazarene Church. It’s a women’s retreat & we’ll be talking about finding freedom in “Renewing Our Minds.” 🙌🏻