Summer's Nearly Gone - Press On!

Nearly 2 months have gone by since my last post. It's not that I forgot, but instead, that I was not able. This summer has been a whirlwind of activity, mostly involving travel both near and far. My summer began with Bible School at home. Then I had the opportunity to see dear friends in Hungary and to make new friends in Croatia. I was blessed to share the love of Jesus with many people along the way. I learned how to live with no cell phone and very little Internet. I drove hundreds of miles on very little sleep and, upon arrival, sang and talked to a group of senior adults about my travels. After driving back home, I was asked, at the last minute, to lead music at a revival my husband was preaching. (No, HE isn't the one who asked.) I am humbled that the Lord chose to use me this summer! I have experienced Him in ways that I never could have if I were anywhere else. 

Finally, I am at home! I have about a week with no real commitments! That sounds wonderful because I am worn out, completely spent, dog-tired and I can't seem to get enough sleep. I know I need to write this blog, but I don't really know what to write about. It's like I've been used up and I'm on "empty",  both physically and mentally. Spiritually, I'm on "full"! 

I'm sure the apostle Paul felt that way many times. He was always going somewhere, too, it seems. Maybe I now understand a little better what it means to "press on". A couple of times this summer, I was so exhausted that I felt I just couldn't continue. Once, I even had a short emotional breakdown. It happens. Our body and mind are connected. When one suffers, so does the other. Over the years, I have learned that crying does a woman good. (I suspect it would be good for men, too!) It's an emotional release, like pulling the plug to let out the steam. Once those emotions had been released, I found I was able to "press on" and do what I needed to do. 

If your summer has left you feeling spent, I want to encourage you to rest, spend time in God's Word, spend time crying out to Him in prayer and don't leave those emotions bottled up! It could cause an explosion! We put a lot of emphasis on being physically healthy, and that's good, but we must put in just as much time becoming healthy both mentally and spiritually if we want to be all that God wants us to be!  

"12 Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. 13 Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 3:12-14 | NIV