Rest Assured: A Recovery Plan for Weary Souls - Softcover

Courtney, Vicki

Softcover

ISBN 10: 084996492X ISBN 13: 9780849964923

Verlag: Thomas Nelson, 2015

Inhaltsangabe

“Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matt. 11:28

Women are overcommitted, overconnected, overburdened, and overwhelmed. Their lives are full, but oddly, their souls are empty. They are aching for a bold challenge—one that will bring rest to their longing souls. Rest Assured is for the daring women who truly want to disrupt their current patterns and see lasting change.

Divided into two parts, Rest Assured offers not just an intervention:

• The Badge of Busyness
• The Exhausting Pursuit of Happiness
• Tethered Souls
• Worried Sick

But also a recovery plan:

• Prioritize the One Thing Needed: Time for God
• Create Room to Breathe: Time for Solitude
• Give Yourself a Break: Time for Leisure
• Pay It Forward: Time for Others

If the soul is weary, it’s time for an intervention. Rest Assured is not a quick fix, but rather a bold challenge that aids women in identifying the negative patterns that prevent them from experiencing rest in their souls. Most importantly, it will give them the tools needed to break the cycle.

A “Rest Stop” challenge is included at the end of each chapter for use in Bible studies and book clubs. Bonus material includes a 30-Day Restitution Plan and 100 Ways to Give It a Rest.

Über diesen Titel

Über die Autorin bzw. den Autor

Vicki Courtney is a national speaker to women of all ages and the best-selling author of many books and Bible studies including 5 Conversations You Must Have with Your Daughter and Ever After. Vicki and her husband, Keith, have three grown children, a son-in-love, daughter-in-love, and an amazing grandson.

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Rest Assured

A Recovery Plan for Weary Souls

By Vicki Courtney

Thomas Nelson

Copyright © 2015 Vicki Courtney
All rights reserved.

ISBN: 978-0-8499-6492-3

Contents

Introduction, xiii, 
Part I: Enemies of Rest: The Intervention, 1, 
Chapter One: The Badge of Busyness, 3, 
Chapter Two: The Exhausting Pursuit of Happiness, 25, 
Chapter Three: Tethered Souls, 51, 
Chapter Four: Worried Sick, 75, 
Part II: Redeeming Rest: The Recovery, 95, 
Chapter Five: Prioritize the One Thing Needed: Time for God, 97, 
Chapter Six: Create Room to Breathe: Time for Solitude, 119, 
Chapter Seven: Give Yourself a Break: Time for Leisure, 141, 
Chapter Eight: Pay It Forward: Time for Others, 165, 
Bonus: A Thirty-Day Restoration Guide, 183, 
Bonus: 100 Ways to Give It a Rest, 193, 
Acknowledgments, 203, 
Notes, 207, 
About the Author, 215, 

CHAPTER 1

The Badge of Busyness

"I'm on my way, sweetie." Pat brushed by me in a flurry as she delivered a tray of food to a nearby table at my favorite diner. The diner sits in the middle of a small town where we own a weekend home, about an hour away from the hustle and bustle of the big city. I come here to write, think, and slow down. Folks don't typically move fast in this little hamlet. Except for Pat, that is. If you caught her during the morning rush, you would witness an impressive feat of multitasking. As she zigzagged from one table to the next, her movements reminded me of the Road Runner, who made a full-time job of staying one step ahead of Wile E. Coyote in the classic cartoons from yesteryear's Saturday mornings.

After refilling about a half dozen coffee cups, Pat appeared at my side with her order pad ready. "What'll you have, sweetie?"

I answered quickly, "I'll have two eggs over medium, wheat toast, and grits — no bacon." I'd learned not to hesitate. If Pat began to tap her pencil nervously on the order pad, you knew you had about five seconds to spit it out, or she'd dart off to another task, offering a polite, "I'll be back when you're ready, honey."

As she finished jotting down my order, the bell over the front door clanged its high-pitched tone, signaling another new customer's arrival. Pat politely barked over her shoulder, "Seat yourself, sweetie. I'm on my way." And off she went. She didn't have a spare second to indulge in idle chitchat. Pat did the work of four people, so there was no reason for me to take it personally. No one did.

While I sipped on my coffee, I thought about Pat's familiar mantra, "I'm on my way." In many respects it summed up the bulk of my adult years. I was always "on my way," busily bouncing from one activity to another, never quite feeling I had the time to unpack a bag, kick off my shoes, and stay awhile — to enjoy the moment. I barely had time to catch my breath before another obligation, duty, person, deadline, or task beckoned and demanded my undivided (ha!) attention. I blamed my calendar for the frenzy, as if it were a silent master holding a whip, giving me no choice but to obey its schedule. In my own defense, I attempted to slow down along the way, recalling the countless sermons I'd heard about rest and keeping the Sabbath. But my bold declarations were always short-lived. Before long I'd rev back up to my frenetic speed, with no rest and no space to breathe.

As I reflected on my tendencies, I realized that something deep within my being was compelling me to maintain the breakneck pace. Something drove me to fill every brief pause or empty hour with more activities and commitments. I desperately wanted to put my foot on the brakes and exit the fast lane, but I couldn't bring myself to actually stop the frenzy. I hated the pace, but at the same time, I needed it. I complained about it in one breath and bragged about it in the next. Maybe that should have been my first clue that something was terribly broken in my soul. I longed to be free from the busyness that enslaved me, but failed to realize I was the taskmaster holding the whip — not my calendar. I alone held the keys to the chains that bound me.

Crazy Busy and Proud of It

Ask someone the simple question, "How are you?" and you'll probably hear phrases like "super busy," "swamped," "over- whelmed," and "wish there were more hours in the day." As a bonus you might even get a play-by-play rundown of the overbooked calendar, spoken, of course, in an exasperated tone with a heavy sigh. Trust me, I'm stepping on my own toes here. I've been this person, and I wish I could go back and slap her silly. My rehearsed speech sounded a little like this: "Life is pretty crazy right now. I've got a full speaking calendar this fall, a list of writing deadlines I probably won't make, the kids' ballgames and activities that take up my weekends, and I just volunteered to help chair the silent auction at the kids' school." Looking off into the distance with a wistful gleam in my eye, I might have even added a wishful, "I look forward to a day when things slow down," or "I'd give anything to be bored."

I spoke about my life as if I had absolutely no control over the crazy pace, as if some invisible drill sergeant dictated my calendar and made sure every spare moment was productive and useful. My recounting of the pace of my life might have sounded like a woeful complaint, but something else was camouflaged underneath: a slight ring of pride. My frenzied, overbooked calendar was becoming the silent proof to others, and to myself, that my life was full and important. Somewhere along the way, busyness had become the barometer for measuring my worth and value. The busier I was, the more I mattered, or at least that's how I felt.

I am a writer and speaker, and though that doesn't demand that I clock in at an office Monday through Friday, it is a full-time job with requirements that often go beyond the normal boundaries of a forty-hour week. At the height of my busyness, I would make bold declarations about how I would force myself to slow down. After I finished a season of speaking engagements. After I met a book deadline. After my kids wrapped up a hectic school year. Yet when after finally arrived, I was off and running again in another leg of the race. In spite of my determination to create a less stressful calendar, my success was always short-lived because when empty blocks of time appeared, I couldn't seem to make peace with them. I struggled to adjust to a slower, more relaxed pace. Whether it was related to my career or my home life, I could always squeeze in one more thing — for me it might be one more speaking engagement, writing deadline, volunteer opportunity, or activity for the children. When I wasn't busy, I felt restless and ill at ease. When I was busy, I felt weary and in need of rest. It was a never-ending, vicious cycle.

Not all forms of busyness are unhealthy. Not all well-filled calendars are toxic. Many people experience bouts of seasonal busyness that are an exception to an otherwise well-balanced pace of life. However, a season of frenzy can turn into a lifestyle of chaos unless you make a concerted effort to guard your calendar. Has your brand of busyness lapsed into the unhealthy realm of chronic busyness?

Take a look at the following list to evaluate your risk for chronic busyness.

You might be too busy if:

• You struggle to say no when asked to do something, even when you know you don't have time to add anything else to your...

Details zur Ausgabe

• Verlag: Thomas Nelson
• Erscheinungsdatum: 2015
• Sprache: Englisch
• ISBN 10: 084996492X
• ISBN 13: 9780849964923
• Einband: Taschenbuch
• Anzahl der Seiten: 224
• Kontakt zum Hersteller: Thomas Nelson; https://www.thomasnelson.com/about-us/; ; Damson Lane; Hull; East Yorkshire; HU8 7DS; Vereinigtes Königreich
• Verantwortliche Person: GPSR Kontakt; gpsr@libri.de; ; Europaallee 1; Bad Hersfeld; 36244; Deutschland