In repentance and rest is your salvation,
in quietness and trust is your strength...
-Isaiah 30:14
I'm working on a quilt for one of the guest rooms- a quilt of skinny scraps of yellows, blues and greens. It's light and cool and reminds me of summer in the country. At first, I had a mind to tie it, and started pulling blue yarn through all the layers. Then I stopped and began pulling it all out. I dislike tied quilts, so I decided to put in the effort to machine quilt it. Going all out on this one! Can't wait until it's finished.
The word "rest" has been showing up in my devotionals and conversations and music. A lot. Rest. It sounds unattainable. Archaic, even. Who rests anymore? The coolest people are the busiest. Resting is for the lazy and unambitious, right? But the more I read, the more I see God calling out to us to... rest. Not be apathetic or neglectful, just to quit striving. Rest.
It's my heart's desire to see this house become a place of quietness and rest. A refuge house, even. I think about it all the time. I'm looking for ways to introduce that atmosphere into this place.
Do you have any ideas? I think I'm going to compile a list. What, to you, says quietness and rest?
We should discuss....
8 comments:
I think of soft, muted colors. I love color but restful to me means taupe, cream, grey. Also, soft textures - cotton, chenille. Plus places for sitting, reading, contemplating, praying. Cozy. Not cluttered, but not stark either.
Books. Lots and lots of books . . . and a cozy chair or couch to snuggle up and read them in. :)
Can't go wrong with candles and quilts! So happy to see MM back again!
I have a blue and yellow and green quilt on my guest bed right now! Only I tied it because it's a king size... You're right to quilt it though. Quilting just looks, well, quilty-er. :)
I think attitude, being intentionally peaceful even when busy, is what gives a place a feeling of restfulness. I find, for me, that means no matter what else is going on I keep centered on abiding in the Lord and allowing HIM to not just provide, but guide Every Minute Every Day. Which means Trust. Trusting completely, and constantly reminding myself when I start to let myself get wound too tight, that it's okay to unwind and let His Peace fill my day like soft sunlight.
What a beautiful quilt. I truly love the colors. :) rest to me just means quiet. Not that you have to be particularly still...but quiet. Books, and lots of them. Candles, maybe a little music. Sometimes rest to me means dancing. I have found the older I get, the more I want to dance. sometimes it means wandering in my garden, or yard, just wandering, looking, picking, praying.
A few days ago my heart - and my emotions - were extremely stressed and distraught over a situation I could do nothing about. I'm reading through Isaiah in my quiet time and this verse was what I came to that morning. It was God's answer for me at that very moment - and for every moment! Rest is so much more than just physical rest. It is rest and calm and quiet in our spirit and our soul and our emotions. It means trusting God with the things He doesn't ask us to do - or things we can't do anything about - and doing just what He asks us to do. I love your quilt. I have started several quilts that have never been finished. One of the things God has brought back into my life is the desire to finish these quilt - in quiet moments to enjoy stitching and putting them together. There's nothing better than physical rest under a cozy handmade quilt!
~Adrienne~
I love to needlepoint. There is something about the thread and pushing and pulling of the needle that has a calming effect on me.
Soft, calming colors. A window so you can look out and see greenery and nature in your yard. A stack of books or magazines at your feet and a big pot of tea. A bowl of lemons or oranges or pot of herbs – something that's fresh, yet simple. A space where you can spend an afternoon, lost in time, to day-dream, read, and be inspired. To give yourself the gift to recharge. After all, our gadgets have to be recharged, so why do we think we don't?
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