Okay, I guess it's no big secret that I'm a fan of John Eldredge's books. In fact, I've been re-reading some of them just to be refreshed again. In "Waking The Dead" he reassures the reader that our hearts matter to God. In fact, he goes so far as to say that caring for your heart is an act of spiritual warfare. I'd never really thought of it that way before.
He writes, "The heart that is weak is vulnerable. Are you able to fend off accusation when you are wiped out from a hard week?
...Listen- the first wave of any strike against us is to rob us of the heart to fight it. It always starts that way, with that sense of being too tired or overwhelmed. Heads up- the main assault is coming on the heels of it.
...The strategy of our Enemy in the age we live in now is busyness or drivenness. The deadly scheme is this: keep them running. That way, they'll never take care of their hearts. We'll burn them out and take them out."
So, caring for your heart, the very place where God dwells, becomes vital to our survival of the assault. One of the practical ways we do this is by "unplugging" from all the chaos and drinking in the beauty that is around us. It could be as simple as stopping to smell the roses -or a trip to a National Park. I suppose that's one of the reasons I love Yosemite so much. I'd also recommend Tahiti.
I've known people who actually brag because they've never taken a vacation. I don't believe that's anything to brag about. Your spirit needs to be refreshed. If you're not refreshed, how can you refresh others? If you didn't get away this summer, take a few days in the fall. I even took a vacation in February one year and ended up hiking in the snow on a trail in Yosemite. It was exhilarating. Until I started falling down too much. Then I went back to the lodge for coffee and a cookie and just watched the snow fall. Amazing how something as simple as that strikes a blow against the Enemy's attack on my heart.
Proverbs 4:23 "Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life."
Psalm 23:1-3 "The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he restores my soul."
