Tag: #permission

Allowing God to Restore Our Souls

Restoration is God’s work of making us whole after we have been slowly drained, neglected or wounded – often without us even noticing.

WEEK 5 Theme: Allowing God to Restore Our Souls

This week is about permission – permission to slow down, to stop pretending we’re fine, and to let God heal our soul. For God is our creator – He understands us like no one else. He knows our secret thoughts , our deepest longing, and our hidden desires. He is aware of our years of carrying, coping, striving, and staying strong. And He grasps that we are tired, exhausted, and muted – for He realizes that many of us have been surviving on an empty tank or low fuel.

He restores my soul – Psalm 23:3

Weekly Intention

This week, let us do a contemplative practice of allowing God to restore our soul (5 minutes):

  1. Settle Down (1 minute) – sit comfortably, take a slow breath in and an even slower breath out. Let us create a space to enter God’s presence.
  2. Become Aware (1 minute) – gentle ask yourself, “What feels most tired in me right now?”. It could be your body, your emotions, your mind, or your spirit. Whatever comes up – just notice it. No judgement.
  3. Turn Toward God (2 minutes) – simple pray this simple sentence: “Lord, I allow You to restore my soul”. Just sit with the words, and gently return to this sentence if your mind wanders.
  4. Rest (1 minute) – stop the words, sit quietly and breathe. Let God do what only He can do – restore what you cannot fix by trying harder.

Weekly Reflection Question:

Let God heal and restore your weary soul – to bring joy that has gone quiet, to give hope that has been postponed, and to revive dreams that have been buried. God restores us by aligning our soul with His still water, where clarity returns.

Question: Where do I need to allow God to restore me, instead of trying harder?

Permission to Pause: Taking a Break without Guilt

Do you dare to stop and pause?

Do you feel guilty when you take a break?

Do you need permission to enjoy a “me-time”?

I am kind of going through a funk, where I am doing a little above minimum and constantly procrastinating, then feeling guilty for not being productive and wasting time (scrolling through social media). I feel there are many things on my plate, big rocks and small pebbles, crowding my life. I spend almost as much time and energy attempting to do my work as avoiding them, especially when they don’t have urgent deadlines.

Rest is God’s Design

During this time, God is reminding me that He has established a time to work and a time to rest, just like what He did in the creation of the world. Our bodies are designed to rest after work, or it will break down and insist upon it. There is always enough time to do the work God has assigned to us. So if we are feeling overwhelmed, it is a sign that we are overloading ourselves with non-essential work and/or inundated with distractions.

“On the seventh day God had finished his work of creation, so he rested from all his work.”

— Genesis 2:2 (NLT)​

Jesus Invites us to Rest

In this hectic life, we are constantly striving. It has become a norm – we sometimes forget to ask what are we really striving for. Jesus is inviting us and giving us permission to take a break from the hustle bustle of life. He invites us to rest and trust in His providence, His protection and in His timing.

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”

— Matthew 11:28 (NIV)

Stillness Reveals God’s Presence

In the midst of all the noise, it is only in the stillness that we can listen to the soft whisper of God’s voice. He wants us to be still in His presence. He wants us to experience Him in the stillness.

“Be still, and know that I am God.”

— Psalm 46:10 (NIV)

My Invitation

This is my invitation to you today: give yourself permission to take a break without guilt, and be still in God’s presence as He refreshes your soul.