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Ready? Reset.


Over the summer I accompanied my 19-year-old daughter to her annual eye exam with a new optometrist in the area while she was home from college. Dr. Bush was thorough and practical, giving Bonnie some clarification on the evolution of an eye dysfunction she has battled for over ten years. Before the appointment was concluded, Dr. Bush asked about her tech use and how many minutes she typically reads each day. He urged her to incorporate the 20-20-20 rule into her daily habits.


Every 20 minutes of eyes focused on a screen or a page, take 20 seconds and look at an object 20 feet away. This will provide a reset for your eyes and keep them healthier over the long haul.

Hmmm. I hadn't heard of this before. And quite frankly, I realized this was a practice I had needed several years back as I would often pull out of the office parking lot with my eyes feeling burning, road maps to Georgia stretched across them.


Dr. Bush didn't say, "Quit looking at screens" or "read less each day". Dr. Bush reminded Bonnie that a frequent reset would allow her to continue to do those things that she needed to do each day, and even enjoyed as a pastime.


I couldn't help but parallel this concept to the daily grind--the lifestyle that most of us live as women, and undoubtedly as women in ministry. The strained focus required each day to punch the to-do list, meet the needs, fill the gaps, and look amazing while doing it can leave a girl carrying some serious Samsonite luggage under those eyes! Duty drives us, but what refuels us?


Who gets to reset?


If you're like most ministry wives I meet, you know you need to reset, but you just don't know how you can carve that in. After all, if you take time to reset, who will keep the plates spinning while you glance away for 20 seconds? Will you be able to regain the drive you had going after stepping away from the grind for even an hour, a few days, or a week? Who gets to reset?


You do. In fact, you have to. You have to reset in order to keep yourself healthy over the long haul.


Oh, yea, here comes another pep talk about self-care. I've heard this one before.


Oh, friend, it's possible you've heard it said before, but have you absorbed its truth? Self-care is not selfish. And while I'm pointing one finger toward you, guiding you down the wide open lanes to Resetville, I'm pointing three right back at myself. Nobody is my boss, providing the to-do list or job requirements these days. I work from home, providing administrative skills to our evangelistic ministry and Sanctuary, study for the occasional invitations I receive to teach or preach, and manage our home with a husband who travels out 50 out of 52 weeks each year. But despite my more flexible schedule, in that I dictate what gets done and when, I don't even give myself a break some days!


It's in us, right? Almost to a point where it does feel productive if it doesn't leave us exhausted.


Here's the hope: the joy of the Lord can be our strength. And where is the joy of the Lord found? In His presence.


David wrote in Psalm 16 about such abundance:

You make known to me the path of life;

in your presence there is fullness of joy;

at your right hand are pleasures forevermore. (Psalm 16:11 ESV)


What causes fatigue? Physical exhaustion is always linked to mental, spiritual, and emotional exhaustion. It isn't always about too many items on the to-do list. It's proven those items on the to-do list never go away. Joy and strength are tied together. Scripture reminds us that the joy of the Lord is our strength (Neh 8:10). Therefore, joy is found in God's presence. While joy is not circumstantial, joy is conditional. You must find yourself in God's presence often to maintain joy.


While joy is not circumstantial, joy is conditional.

This quickly becomes an A + B = C type of equation. Dwelling consistently in God's presence amply and abundantly supplies joy to the worshipper, which then produces the strength that sustains, even in the most tedious stretches of your daily, weekly, monthly, and even yearly schedule. It should be easier to be found in His presence, and many followers of Christ can even marginally discover that rich supply when they show up for worship on Sundays. However, often the minister struggles to dive deeply into that corporate setting due to the demands of producing or providing it.


So, here comes the initiative toward which I'm writing today:


Find God's presence again.


You may feel you can't afford to slow down and soak in His presence. But the truth is, you can't afford not to slow down and soak in His presence.


When was the last time you shut the door, turned on the worship music, and just sat still long enough to feel the warm embrace of God's presence? His Holy Spirit saturating your heart, soul, mind, and body with all that He is? Oh, dear friend, find God's presence again. If this has become a lost art for you, there's no shame! Start carving out time for it again. Start with one 15-minute session today. And then consider tomorrow's schedule as you're preparing for bed this evening. Where can you make it happen? In the school pick-up line? By setting your alarm 15 minutes earlier tomorrow morning? After the kids are down for bed, before you click on the TV?


You're ready for a reset. So, find His presence again. Because when you find His presence and allow your heart and mind to get lost in the fullness of who He is, you'll recognize the fullness of who you are again. Detox the mind. Relax the shoulders. Breathe a little more deeply. In His presence is fullness of joy. His joy provides you strength. And you're going to need all that and more in the days to come.


Read the entire Psalm 16 and meditate on one verse that sticks out to you from the others.


 

Bridgette Tomlin, founder of Sanctuary, and her husband, Chresten, have been married and in full-time ministry for 26 years. 25 of the 26 years have been spent in evangelistic work, both stateside and overseas. The couple has two beautiful daughters--ages 19 and 14--and base out of Tulsa, Oklahoma. Like many ministry wives Bridgette often feels like a red flag on the tug-of-war rope with the children on one end and her husband and the ministry on the other end! When she finds time for personal hobbies, Bridgette enjoys entertaining, blogging, singing, browsing the local antique shops, and sipping on a cup of hot tea for a few precious quiet moments. Her heart is to lead others to the authentic presence of God--through worship, through Word, and through one-on-one connection.

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