Month: August 2021

MY BLOG POSTS, My Reflections, Poetry

GRACE

Rachel's Reflections

No matter who we are

What we’ve done

Mistakes we’ve made

Even if we try to outrun

So many plans

That were tailor made

Till we take that step

And finally start to trust

As faith begins to grow

Doubts get pushed away

Letting the light flow

As the Lord leads the way

For His love is always there

He would never leave us alone

No matter what’s been done

No matter if we’ve roamed

His grace is in strong supply

Willingly given for He’s love

He will never steer us wrong

It is us He’s so proud of

For that is why Christ died

To give us what we need

Not having to live in darkness

In His light we can finally see

We are favored, we are loved

Talk to Him; He is always there

And will never steer us wrong

With God, He always cares

No matter what has happened

His forgiveness is always strong

Even if we’ve turned our backs on Him

With God we’ll always belong

For this is His gift of grace

Perfection is not what He ever seeks

He’ll always accept us as we are

In Him we are truly free.

By Rachel Basden © 2021

“God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God.” EPHESIANS 2:8
My Reflections

And Relax . . .

Rachel's Reflections

If 2020-2021 has taught me anything it has most taught me the necessity to relax. With so much happening that none of us were expecting, I learned to value time with those I love, respect and enjoy being around.

It’s also so important to enjoy some time with yourself doing what brings you joy.

I learned that some things I once viewed as necessary may not have been so important. This also helped me to find more balance in my life, with personal life, work life and my spiritual life. When one part overwhelms the others exponentially, the equation of our lives can lose focus.

Our ways to balance life will not always look the same, but finding the right balance is vital.

Spending time doing nothing, alone or with others, is not a waste of time. I have found a lot of calmness, peace and time to think more clearly in those moments. Relaxing is not a bad use of time. It provides us with more time.

Taking a break when the weather is especially nice, just because you can.

Laughing, dancing and talking with friends and/or family are some of the best forms of relaxing that I’ve experienced over this past summer. Finding who you need in life helps us to stay healthy, happy and living the lives we are meant to live. It also helps to keep us accountable.

Find your people and relax together just as strongly as you support one another in the other portions of your lives.

Relaxing definitely looks different at various times and can be very different for each of us, but it is so crucial to our mental health. While we should all take care of our physical bodies, this past year has taught us so much of the importance of mental health for all of us. No one is one dimensional. We are multifaceted for a reason.

Whether it’s time to relax or time to work, stay persistent in living a life of balance.

If you need more balance, make it happen. Value yourself. Value others. Make it happen. You may need to start small, or you may be able to drastically change your life immediately, but whatever you do . . . relax.

If you need someone to tell you, it’s a gift to yourself and others when you spend time relaxing. Life is too short, and we all need time to enjoy as much of it as we possibly can.