First, I want to thank Nicole @ Flip Flops and Combat Boots for allowing me the privilege of being a guest blogger.
I have learned a lot from following lurking about the blogging community, especially the MilSpouse bloggers.
Ladies, you are great, you are wonderful…
I am amazed by you, overwhelmed by you and humbled by you.
You are all so very special to me.
When I first learned that Nicole was looking for guest bloggers, my first question for Nicole was:
I have a blog I toy with, as a guest blogger what kind of post would you want?
Nicole graciously replied:
Hi friend :)
I let my guest bloggers write about anything that is important to them! If it's important to you, then I want to read it!
Amazingly enough that was way back on June 14, and we are now in August.
Where did summer go?
I mean SERIOSULY school is starting in here in,
Where has summer gone?
This summer was so much more than I dared to hope, dream, anticipate…I don’t want it to end…I want an endless summer, I want the best summer ever to never end…
Where has the past year gone?
I mean this time last year Mr. Man and I had just met and not yet had a “face-to-face” and yet it’s been practically a year already.
[It’s ironic really that our “year” parallels and runs concurrent with the school year because this has been a year I have learned a lot. What I have learned cannot be measured in pop quizzes, test, or semester exams…but none-the-less I have learned lots. I know more about Uncle Sam, than I ever imagined ever knowing or ever wanting to know or thought I needed to know, and know that I “don’t know nothin’ yet”.]
When I knew for a fact that I would be a guest blogger, I knew from that moment what my “topic” would be. It is a topic that I have a vested interest in and one that I really wanted to explore…but for the past 90 days every time I have sat down to contemplate…
Research and write……
Well, nothing….
Nothing would happen….
I would have a giant brain freeze and no intelligent thoughts…
(This is SO unlike me…. In college, if you gave me a syllabus then I would have all the major papers written three weeks into the semester. I love to write, think and research…YES, I know I am geeky, nerdy and I think too much….Mr. Man says is consistently reminding me that I “think too much”, LOL.)
[There is an inside joke to me calling him Mr. Man; I’ll let you in on it…
I am,
Mr. Man
Therefore, Mr. Man is consistently asking me what do you parents/ family think about…XYZ. Whatever the current topic of conversation is….
My standard answer to this is, “Well, whatever THEY think, I am an adult.”
One day he said, “Why do you keep saying that? “I’m an adult!!” I know you are an adult. That’s like me saying I’m a MAN (My brain went ohhhh, yeah DUDE you are a MAN, a VERY manly man, LOL!!!) What do you mean by that?”
I said, “Well, what I mean by that is this…whatever my parents think, don’t think or whatever their opinion is about XYZ I am an ADULT. That means I am capable of making my own decisions and living with
Out of that conversation was born his blog pseudonym—Mr. Man. LOL
But there I go again procrastinating and getting way off subject, I digress….]
I do not like this blank feeling…
So, here I am its Tuesday…my self-imposed deadline is Thursday…and I find myself rambling and meandering into my topic.
In my head, toying at the edges of my brain are two separate, and at first not apparently related, thoughts.
The first…
A conversation Mr. Man and I had via IM in the “getting-to-know-you-stage” of things.
I was commenting about his early bed time of 9:30 pm (yes, he DOES get up at 4:30 am) and stating that my “normal” bedtime ranged from 12:30 am to 2:30 am.
He already knew I work second shift, 12 pm to 9 pm, so his follow up comment was well you just sleep in late in the morning.
Me: No, I tend to get up between 5:30 am and 6:30 am. The more stressed I get the more wired and the less I sleep, and the longer I “run” on less and less sleep….
Mr. Man: Man, It sound like you would thrive in Iraq!!!! You want to be a Soldier????
Me: Uhhhhhhhh, NO!! (Then I gave the very feeble excuse of….) I don't know anything about guns.
The Second…
Mark Lowry sings a song titled,
Rest in the Arms
From the Album: The Last Word
Here are the lyrics:
When money can’t buy a solution
And plans can’t find a way
When what worked before
Doesn’t work anymore
And words have nothing to say
When tear are flowing like rivers
And hearts are breaking in two
If it seems when you pray
God is so far away
There is still one thing you can do
Rest in the arms of the Everlasting One
Rest in the care of God’s Ever Loving Son
When all you can do has already been done
Rest in the arms of God
The presence of God is around you
Even though it’s hard to believe
He would be there in the midst of despair
Without even meeting your need
He is familiar with sorrows and
So acquainted with grief
The scars on His hands
Prove that He understands
And in time will meet every need
So, rest in the arms of the Everlasting One
Rest in the care of God’s Ever Loving Son
When all you can do has already been done
Rest in the arms of God
Find rest of in the arms of God
Rest in the Arms of God.
Ohh, yea my topic….
Sleep vs. Rest
Rest is so different from sleep.
Dictionary.com defines Sleep as:
a. A natural periodic state of rest for the mind and body, in which the eyes usually close and consciousness is completely or partially lost, so that there is a decrease in bodily movement and responsiveness to external stimuli. During sleep the brain in humans and other mammals undergoes a characteristic cycle of brain-wave activity that includes intervals of dreaming.
b. A period of this form of rest.
c. A state of inactivity resembling or suggesting sleep; unconsciousness, dormancy, hibernation, or death.
A natural, reversible state of rest in most vertebrate animals, occurring at regular intervals and necessary for the maintenance of health. During sleep, the eyes usually close, the muscles relax, and responsiveness to external stimuli decreases. Growth and repair of the tissues of the body are thought to occur, and energy is conserved and stored. In humans and certain other animals, sleep occurs in five stages, the first four consisting of non-REM sleep and the last stage consisting of REM sleep. These stages constitute a sleep cycle that repeats itself about five times during a normal episode of sleep. Each cycle is longer than the one preceding it because the length of the REM stage increases with every cycle until waking occurs. Stage I is characterized by drowsiness, Stage II by light sleep, and Stages III and IV by deep sleep. Stages II and III repeat themselves before REM sleep (Stage V), which occurs about 90 minutes after the onset of sleep. During REM sleep, dreams occur, and memory is thought to be organized. In the stages of non-REM sleep, there are no dreams, and brain activity decreases while the body recovers from wakeful activity. The amount and periodicity of sleep in humans vary with age, with infants sleeping frequently for shorter periods, and mature adults sleeping for longer uninterrupted periods.
Rest is defined by Dictionary.com as:
Noun
1. Cessation of work, exertion, or activity.
2. Peace, ease, or refreshment resulting from sleep or the cessation of an activity.
3. Sleep or quiet relaxation.
4. The repose of death: eternal rest.
5. Relief or freedom from disquiet or disturbance.
6. Mental or emotional tranquility.
7. Termination or absence of motion.
Verb
v. rest•ed, rest•ing, rests
v.intr.
1. To cease motion, work, or activity.
2. To lie down, especially to sleep.
3. To be at peace or ease; be tranquil.
4. To be, become, or remain temporarily still, quiet, or inactive: Let the issue rest here.
5. To be supported or based; lie, lean, or sit: The ladder rests firmly against the tree.
In article in the June 6, 2008 edition of Time states, “Sleep is one of the richest topics in science today: why we need it, why it can be hard to get, and how that affects everything from our athletic performance to our income.” Moneywatch.com, March 4, 2009, indicated that, “Studies show that denying your body even one hour of the sleep it needs each night (seven hours for most people) interferes with crucial cognitive functioning: concentration, memory, judgment, and reaction time. It also curbs your ability to control emotion, making you irritable and prone to overreacting.”
In college, and still to this day, the more I get stressed and keyed up over situations the less I sleep. One of the things that I hate the most is going to bed and lying there…just staring in the dark at the ceiling tiles; tossing and turning, trying in vain to just go to sleep. Trying to sleep was more tiresome than resting.
There I would be in the middle of finals week, the night before a big test…I knew the material, I’d studied hard, I was tired but I could not sleep. I would lay there trying to coax myself to sleep…nothing working at all. I knew I would have to be awake the next day for the “big test” and knew I needed to be sharp…knew all the science, but I couldn’t sleep.
So I’d grab some kinda of book, some easy read, something I was reading for recreation…and read. I would still be reading when my alarm went off. I would jump up, shower and get ready for my day rested and refreshed without ever sleeping a wink. I would go into the exam and ace it. (Is this healthy—probably not, do I recommend it—no, did it work for me—yes.)
So, I know that there is a difference between Rest and Sleep.
The company that I currently work for has business cycles. There are six months out of the year that I work 12+ hour days and then six months out of the year that I work eight hour days, and during those times they are begging us to take unpaid time off….
During those busy times, or “peak season”, I will go to bed many times at 2:30 am and get up at 5:30 am. I know the less sleep I get, the more tired I am. The more tired I am, the more I stress and the less I sleep until I create a vicious cycle.
[OnI have learned that when I am tired and sleepy, to simply take myself off to bed for the night or take a nap (if I can, LOL.)]
However, there are many nights that I simply rest, read away the hours and never sleep a wink.
I have been learning, especially over the past year, is to turn my worry and stress over to God and just Rest in Him—Rest in His arms and in His tender loving care. Whenever I think of resting in God’s arms the imagery I get is that of a child being snuggled up against his/ her parent safe, secure and snug—completely at rest, without a care, concern or worry in the world. (I tried in vain to find just the right picture, nothing I found was what I “saw” in my mind.”)
Whenever I hear the lyrics to Mark Lowy’s Rest in the Arms, I get the same imagery.
Rest in the arms of the Everlasting One
Rest in the care of God’s Ever Loving Son
When all you can do has already been done
Rest in the arms of God
On August 21, 2009, I woke up at 3:30 am to an electrical storm which resulted in the house that I was renting catching on fire. When I had done all I could do to locate the fire, it was an electrical fire that smoldered in the attic, and there was nothing else to do, I went back to bed. I remember lying there thinking, “God, there is something so wrong, but I can’t find it…keep me safe.” I woke up 5 hours later at around 7 am, the Fire Department arrived shortly after 8 am. I did not know, at the time, how God would use that one single incident in my life but though out the past 12 months God has used that object lesson over and over. God began that day to teach me the His meaning of resting in His arms.
Resting in God’s arms is a verb.
It is actively choosing to turn your cares, burdens, worries, concerns, all your pain, all your confusion, all those things that you can control and all those things you can’t over to God.
I say that I am military stupid, but recently (well, relatively speaking) I’ve enrolled in Uncle Sam’s crash course. One thing I’m learning is my time and Uncle Sam’s time in never in sync.
When money can’t buy a solution
And plans can’t find a way
When what worked before
Doesn’t work anymore
And words have nothing to say
When tear are flowing like rivers
And hearts are breaking in two
If it seems when you pray
God is so far away
There is still one thing you can do
In April Mr. Man and I almost faced a deployment. What I heard from Mr. Man that month went something like this: I’m deploying, I’m not deploying, I’m deploying, I’m not deploying—right now…but I could be deploying, I will be deploying…but I don’t know when, it won’t be RIGHT NOW…it could be anytime.
My brain when into overdrive…there was so much to be done, so little time…were we ready to face this? I mean REALLY, there was so much to do. (Mr. Man has two children…there was lots of “stuff”.)
Rest in the arms of the Everlasting One
Rest in the care of God’s Ever Loving Son
When all you can do has already been done
Rest in the arms of God
Mr. Man had this “list” he was working on, I just knew I was to have a list too…but, didn’t know where to find it, how to find that stupid mysterious list or even what was on it, LOL. During this period of time God reinforced to me that I was not in control, Mr. Man wasn’t in control and Uncle Sam wasn’t in control.
Then, GOD gave me my “list” to work on…it was REST in His arms.
Rest in the arms of the Everlasting One
Rest in the care of God’s Ever Loving Son
When all you can do has already been done
Rest in the arms of God
What?
That was it!?!?!?
Yet, that “simple” task was the hardest thing I’ve ever learned (and am still learning to do)!!
I had to rest, and cease from worrying…
What would happen would be those things that God allowed to happen. God “list” for me was to rest.
I had to give all this “stuff” to God and stop worrying, fretting and stewing…I was to just REST in the plan that God had for my life…even when I couldn’t see it, even when I felt like I was living and struggling through a smoke filled maze; trying to find my way out with my hands cuffed behind my back.
God reminded me over and over to give Him my worry, care, concern and just REST in Him.
God gently reminded me that if I could trust my life in His hand through a fire, THEN I could trust my life in His hands through anything.
The presence of God is around you
Even though it’s hard to believe
He would be there in the midst of despair
Without even meeting your need
And then, the day before my birthday I went in for a yearly well woman visit.
Within a few days I was sent for a sonogram, then I was sent to a Nephrologist (Kidney Doctor)…who said it was very likely I would lose a kidney and VERY soon. (I didn’t and at this point I’m not... I’ve got a semi all clear or at least an all clear for now and a wait-and-see, LOL.)
He is familiar with sorrows and
So acquainted with grief
The scars on His hands
Prove that He understands
And in time will meet every need
During this time God continued to remind me that my life was not in my hands, but in His hands…I could rest in His hands and in His plans; having confidence that He would guide me through.
And here we are…
It’s been…
Almost a year since the house fire.
Almost a year since I had my first face-to-face with Mr. Man.
Almost 90 days since the kidney scare.
Almost 90 days of summer….the very best summer of my LIFE.
A summer, that instead of facing a deployment—it will come and that’s ok…by then we will be better prepared for it—it has instead has been a beautiful summer.
I have had the privilege of spending a week each month with Mr. Man and the girls (those girls are so precious…psst I’m very attached to them, LOL), we have had this summer to grow together, we have had the time we needed to let things “gel”, set up, stabilize a bit, and I am learning that RESTING in God is a daily, hourly and sometime minute-by-minute choice.
Again I’m reminded of what Mr. Man said almost a year ago….
…about since I didn’t sleep much I would “thrive in Iraq”.
Well, Mr. Man…
I will not and would not “thrive in Iraq”, but I will thrive where ever God put me.
I may not SLEEP a whole lot, but I rest in GOD.
When money can’t buy a solution
And plans can’t find a way
When what worked before
Doesn’t work anymore
And words have nothing to say
When tear are flowing like rivers
And hearts are breaking in two
If it seems when you pray
God is so far away
There is still one thing you can do
Rest in the arms of the Everlasting One
Rest in the care of God’s Ever Loving Son
When all you can do has already been done
Rest in the arms of God
The presence of God is around you
Even though it’s hard to believe
He would be there in the midst of despair
Without even meeting your need
He is familiar with sorrows and
So acquainted with grief
The scars on His hands
Prove that He understands
And in time will meet every need
So, rest in the arms of the Everlasting One
Rest in the care of God’s Ever Loving Son
When all you can do has already been done
Rest in the arms of God
Find rest of in the arms of God
Rest in the Arms of God.
~Mark Lowry
LaDonna can be found at her blog Serendipitously ME!
