Call to Well Nesting
How about we give thanks to God for being who He is (almighty Creator) and for still loving us, even though He knows everything about us? We are held together in this life by His love, His grace, and His mercy, which endures forever. We are grateful, as our Father protects us, provides for us, and places His purpose into our spirit. God’s presence brings peace into our soul (which is perfect well-being, all necessary good, all spiritual prosperity, and freedom from fears and agitating passions and moral conflicts). These are our conditions for “well nesting.”
As we welcome the holiday season, let us be keenly aware of how the enemy seeks to steal and destroy our well-nesting position. Just because we are blessed and God is for us does not mean that trouble, trials, or testing will not show up to challenge us or set up barriers against our relationship with Christ.
Sometimes the holidays are not as grand as we would like them to be. Current circumstances or memories of people, places, or things gone bye with the past can add up to less than our expectations. We cannot afford to make the mistake of deciding that God is not present during unwell seasons. This is usually a time when prayers don’t seem to have power, scriptures sound like clichés, and we feel wounded by the recurrence of past pain or suffering. The one thing we do not want to do with unwell timing is to dig into the gloom and give up the fight!
The Bible does not promise us that we will understand everything that God allows into our lives. It does state that we can “stand” on His word, that His promises will not fail, and that He will never forsake us or leave us alone. How could we fathom being on the same level as God? We cannot know when He is doing what He is doing or how He will or will not move in a specific way! What we see and know in the natural world is far inferior to God’s capacity in the Spirit realm. He is God, and there is none like Him. He makes known the end from the beginning and what is still to come. God’s purpose will stand, and He will do all that He pleases, without our help or consent!
Thanksgiving is the perfect time for us to regroup and start an ascent from unwell into well nesting. This is possible only when we look within, because our external world seems to have conveniently misplaced family values, the concept of giving thanks, and the importance of believers in Christ to maintain trust, love, worship, and gratitude towards God, despite immediate incidents or occurrences. Praise, giving thanks, prayer, recognizing the good, and doing what we would do if we thought God were standing right there at our side is faith walking.
Believing, having faith, and trusting God are our foundational building blocks as Christians. We have the ability to remake… do over… create new traditions… to surround ourselves with healthy, heartfelt alternatives! Let us be mindful of our attitudes, actions, thoughts, and opinions connected to the things we do or do not do. One way to evaluate this kind of mindfulness is to use an example from the Word: Check the fruit. The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control – the fruit of the flesh is not!
I am inviting you to join me this November in the possibility thinking of well nesting! We will not let this month be about starting Christmas early or grumping about what is no longer. You and I will be intentional in looking for, preparing for, and developing opportunities to express and delight in giving thanks to God, our Father, Jesus our Lord, and the Holy Spirit our Comforter.
A few ideas to get started:
- Make a “thanks giving” tree (3D or flat). Each day this month hang something on it that you are thankful for.
- Share the meaning of Thanksgiving (God power, family, people, places, and things of yesterday, or motivations for future thought) with young people.
- Make healthy choices with food menus. Share food prep and meals. Pay attention to foods high in sugar, salt, fat, and carbs – to eat in moderation or replace with better items.
- Create a collage of special people, places, or things from this past year. Go down memory lane to see where the Lord stood in the gap for you, your family, or friends.
- Send a card, Facebook post, long text, or email to your address book names, especially folks you don’t come into contact with often. Share with them things you are thankful for and how they have been a part of some kind of goodness in your life.
- If you are crafty, make small personal items for those you appreciate being in your life.
- Create simple gift baskets of fresh fruits, vegetables, nuts, baked items, or cooked foods for those shut in or in need of food items.
- Make a phone call a day to family, friends, colleagues, classmates, merchants, healthcare providers, etc. to share messages of greeting, inspiration, peace, and thanksgiving.
- Take a walk, hike, or bike ride (alone or with company) to identify things in the natural environment that you appreciate, are in awe of, or really feel a peaceful attachment to.
- Color your way through the month. Each day use a color to fill in a shape or draw an item to represent your well-nest place of peace.
- Make it a point to discuss keeping Thanksgiving in November and observing some kind of salute to fashioning positive change (mindfulness).
The idea is to connect with God and others, to create change in your environment, and to just get out and breathe. Can you do it? With God all things are possible. Take the risk; partake of our Father’s divine essence. For His divine power has bestowed upon us all things that are mandatory and suited to life and godliness. And, it’s no secret, He works through your full, personal knowledge of Him, because He called you by His own glory and excellence. Be thankful, accept His peace, and rest in His glory.
Be the Light, Gayle Smith
