If you follow us on Instagram, you may have noticed an increase in images and inspiration from all over the world. That’s all due to our Velvet Ashes Instagram Team! So we asked these five amazing ladies what has been reviving them recently and this is what they said. (And even if you are not on Instagram, click over and just look through Velvet Ashes feed. They do a great job curating images and fostering community around the globe. Every Wednesday they have a prayer post and you can share requests and be prayed for. There are #FridayIntroductions . . . lots going on. We would love for you to join in the fun!)
From Rachel:
We have many busy seasons, and sometimes they last for a year. The year ahead of us looks to be one of those. God is doing things, and we intend to join him, and, yes, it will take time and be hard. In the past, I’ve tried to be more proactive with times for reviving myself, scheduling these times before I’m in desperate need. This year will be no different. Daily, I set aside time for rest in the afternoons. Reading revives me, so I read, fiction or non-fiction, unless I fall asleep. (Naps are allowed!) Even when the kids are home from school, we observe rest time. Weekly, I set aside Thursdays for no work—I don’t even cook! When the kids are in school and my husband is working here in town, I ask him to take me for a lunch date. We eat leftovers for supper and have family game night. From a spiritual perspective, I think I would be revived by watching a worship service from my American church online. I always consider planning to do this once a month, but I never make the time. Maybe I should!
From Dorette:
In a season where I cannot leave my two boys alone for a second (unless they’re both asleep) and I am living in a country where it is always hot and humid, finding ways to revive body and soul is the only way to thrive. At least I have a lot of options to choose from. Some of my favorites include ice-coffee/tea, fresh fruit, a semi-cold shower (putting the little ones in a tub), reading a Psalm, taking a power-nap, playing in the shade of a big tree in our yard, and the occasional trip to the beach.
from Kathryn whose team has experienced a medical trauma:
The one solace that has happened so far was this morning, sitting and remembering that our God is sovereign; and that this was not out of his timing. None of it was out of his timing, none of it was with out of his scope of knowledge. I sat with my coffee early this morning and listened to songs that are my anthems, my soul music: Great is Thy Faithfulness, Leaning on the Everlasting Arms, and You are my Hiding Place. All of the music you can return to in the worst of times and the best of times, but especially in the worst times. They help me to remember that everyone changes, and people leave, and people suffer really awful things, and God is the one constant; he is the one faithful and he is the one present in all of it. I don’t know about reviving my soul, but it sure is sustaining it.
From Spring:
I have to admit that the first thing that comes to my mind is Susanna Wesley, who apparently put a towel over her head to pray. Honestly before I had children I thought it was a neat idea. After children it seems to me it must have helped her maintain her sanity. For me personally, I have found things other than a towel that revive me. Chocolate is always a go to. I find laughter reviving and have been watching bloopers on YouTube.
Other things that revive me in no particular order:
- Reading
- Listening to worship music
- Playing loud fun music and dancing around
- Hugs
- Texting a friend and asking them to pray for me
The most reviving thing I have been doing recently is prayer in the middle of difficult situations. I ask Jesus to come, even if it is me who is in the wrong. I am realizing my messiness doesn’t scare or surprise him.
From Abby:
I could share a great, long list of my go-to self care routines when my life is feeling dead and crispy around the edges: a visit to my favorite coffee shop, a run, or a long, hard cry in the shower. Some of my routines are very holy-sounding, like praying, or writing in my journal, while others are more mundane, like baking sourdough bread (my new hobby). What I have come to realize is that these routines in and of themselves don’t have power to revive my weary and often broken heart; rather, their power lies in the space that they create in my life. They get me out of myself and into the stillness. They open my heart and force me to be honest. Whether I am elbow deep in bread dough, hiding in a corner of my favorite coffee shop, these are only roads that lead to the same destination, which, of course, is Jesus. This sounds overly simple, but of course, this is the beauty and mystery of the gospel: it really is that simple. While we want process and routine, Jesus desires relationship, and only when I am spending time with my Savior, be it in the midst of knitting or baking or doodling in my journal, will my faint heart be revived.
What has been reviving you this week? Share and go visit our Instagram Feed and the hashtag #VelvetAshesRevive
2 Responses
Ladies, I love these insights! I love how many ways God revives us!!
Catching up…I loved these, too! And may have to try the towel head covering idea! At least it’s an outward symbol to my kids to leave me alone for a minute! Ha!