EMBRACING REST: OF 2022 GOALS

Hello God's artwork,

It's been a whhhhile and I'm really sorry. But I'm back, and loaded😆. I've been able to pop in online a few times, and I'm glad to see most of us are going on well. 

Now, ebu let's talk about thing called 2022 goals. How many of you have been able to tick off at least one? Please share with us how you did it because wueh! The story I'm about to share is about how I've had to set aside mine and just flow... And now 3 months to Christmas period I am still hopeful I can focus on at least one😂...

Before this year started, I took my time in December 2021 to come up with the perfect vision board that would ensure perfect balance in the 8 main areas of my life. I even came up with the perfect planner design and it's accompanying notebooks that would help me stay on track and accountable to God (I think by now you've noticed I like perfection😆). I was to test this for 3 months on myself, 3 months on another person, then friends and then the rest of the world after that...

On your mark, set, go, boom: 13th January found me in hospital. I stayed there for about 2 weeks, then was on bed-rest for about two months. I ran out of the savings I had been setting aside for a much needed laptop/desktop... I am however, forever grateful for eeeveryone who came through to support emotionally, financially and any other way🙇🏽‍♀️.

When I finally resumed normal life, I noticed my body felt foreign to me, following the heavy medication. I no longer felt strong enough to follow through the vision board I created early in the year. And even worse, I no longer felt good in some of the clothes I previously liked. (I like my clothes 🙈)

A friend I will forever be grateful to, took me on a date, pampered me, then advised, "Just BE, don't try doing, just BE." I kinda got what she meant but also I kinda didn't. I didn't know how to BE. All my life I've been a DO-person. She was literally making me face those scriptures in the Bible that the DO-gaholic in me always hit a block on: "Be holy as I am holy", "Be transformed by the renewing of your mind... " just to list a few...

Whatever that meant, I new part of it meant laying that vision board at the feet of Jesus and finding REST in the fact that it is more important to Him than to me. Rest: another action the DO-gaholic in me struggled with. I however, did set it aside, and decided to just live one day at a time and see where that gets me.

What followed next, was me continuing to sleep up to 9 hours a night and catching up to three 20 minute naps during the day😂. This truly bothered me at first, but I would respond to the critic in me, "I'm just BEing the best way I know how to, so it's not fair for you to judge." 

This spilled over to my other actions and I began to get rid of activities or things I would hold on to just because "they are good/healthy/recommended etc for me". I began to surround myself with only objects and activities that were less of a to-do list, and put in my daily routine things that enhanced resting. NB: I continued doing most basic things: chores, going to work, exercise, reading etc... but I did them in such a way it would feel less of a duty...

After doing this, I gained an extra hour of sleep at night🙈😆 and up to 4 more during weekends 🙈.  Yeah, if sleeping was a paying job I'd be the best in the industry and the highest paid... but oh well...

At some point I overcame the guilt of sleeping more hours than other people, and decided to embrace it because clearly, it looked like my body needed it. As I embraced this new found joy🤣, I noticed I began to be accurate and faster at jobs allocated to me because subconsciously, I wanted to get it perfectly done so I could go back to resting😆.

Power napping should be a recognized hobby :-)

It wasn't all rosy though. Sometimes I would attend forums where they would criticize what I was doing, or, a friend here and there would try to give me tips on how to be motivated for more action 🙄. The scariest part would of course be coming across the verse in proverbs... “Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, A little folding of the hands to rest [and daydream],” Then your poverty will come as a robber, And your want like an armed man."

Proverbs 24:33‭-‬34 AMP

I remember going to God after those forums and praying: 

"Dear God, you know my heart. I had a plan for 2022. I was to live a life pleasing and acceptable to you, the best way I knew how, I've tried revising that vision board but got no where with it. And yet somehow, I find so much peace pursuing more rest at this point in my life. Dear God, if this sleep is not from you take it away..." 

And then  I began to set my alarm clock for the DO-gaholic's precious hour: 5am🤣🤣. Guess what? I never heard that alarm clock and would wake up at around 6, and if did hear it I would snooze up to 6.30🤣. 

Funny though, I would still get to work at around 9. Being an Architect is awesome! The assessment is more on work productivity than on what time you get work, although 9ish is the silent allowable extreme at my workplace...

I'm a huge celebrater (I think you've noticed by now my habit of inventing words🤣) of Jewish Feasts. I hope to share my revelations on them in future posts, but for now, I found peace in knowing September 2021- September 2022 was a Shmita year. 

A Shmita year is a Sabbath year. That is, it occurs every 7 years... the way we have sabbath day, now this is a sabbath year... you get? The land is left fallow during such a year, yet somehow God provides for them... So maybe, I was accidentally keeping Shmita🤣🤣.

With this in mind, I continued with my pursuit of rest... more like sleep🤣, until early July. The last three weeks before the elections break however, something began to happen. I began to wake up earlier without the alarm clock, I began to dress up better with just the existing clothes in my wardrobe and I began to have energy to take action on some of the items on the Vision Board. Talk of getting up, dressing up and showing up!  

Launching next phase of Lifestyle Heights Tatu city

But best of all, I began to hunger for God more than I ever had in my entire life. The election break was a therefore a perfect opportunity for me to spend more time communing with God even as I received the plan for the next 3/4 months, to see what I can focus on, on that vision board😆. And just when I had an experience I call, "kissing the face of God", boom. I was back to hospital again... but at least this time for about a week. Talk of Cycles, as sang by Jonathan McReynolds. Although in this case, twice the same year.😅 The impact on finances etc was the same, but God!!!!

This time though,  I was determined to recover faster because I kept telling my Body: "You can't have 'kissed the face of God' and stay sick." However, that still small voice that I have trusted all my life and has got me where I am today, said this sweet words that I will forever cherish🤗, "Shhh relax my child,  I truly admire your faith, but trust me... Sleep my child, for when you ARISE, you're gonna turn the world right side up. For many have slept, woken up before time, and turned it upside down and were applauded by men for it... Whose applaud do you seek?" 😭😭😭

Site days are a favourite :-)

Oh how comforting that was. He went on to teach me things about arising vs waking up, grapes and the crushing, pearls and treasures, Boaz(es)😆 and Adams, and so much more I hope to share in future...

Here I thought I was delaying God's purposes by not posting on my blog, releasing new notebook ideas, posting my architectural stories, not to mention pursuing my fitness and wellness goals; Yet apparently, God is interested in my preparedness more than me doing stuff for him😭. 

I have come to learn that, true preparedness is finding yourself in Him, and finding yourself, comes by BEing not trying-to-DO. And you can only know how to BE, by reading the makers manual - His word... Because when you find yourself in Him, you'll not be moved when just a few people read your Biko-Zulu-like (super-long) posts🙈😂... When you find yourself in Him, you're not bothered by the number of likes and comments,  though those are good,  because you then know, you are approved by Him, and that's all that matters.

Fast forward to today, as I write this post, I'm still in that resting mode though kinda back in action. I actually typed this in bed🙈. I hope to get into more action from 25th September,  which is when Jews will be celebrating their new year, but I have no pressure. I hope by then to have grown in the understanding of  "laboring from a place of rest😃"...

A great lesson I'm also learning is, life is a race/series of races. Just like athletes take time to rest between races, we shouldn't feel guilty for taking needed rest.

 

I have also learnt: Muscles don't grow during exercise. Muscles grow during rest. Contrary to what we imagine, exercise just helps create room for bigger muscles to grow, by breaking down the food, oxygen and old muscle tissue. Food, rest and hormones are what facilitate that increase in size. But above all, I'm wowed to see how God instituted rest days and rest years for the nation of Israel, yet they continued to prosper...

So are you out there and have been feeling a bit weary to the point you don't have time to commune with God? Slow down!!  You don't have to drop everything like I did, I don't  even wish that on anyone.  But you can start with the heaviest thing you can do a little while without, and come to Jesus. Matthew 11:28-30 says "Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

So, 

that is where Yve Azar has been and is at, for those who've been wondering. Thank you for all those who have been praying for me. I hope to be consistent in posting monthly. In the meantime please share those tips on "goal achieving in 3 months"😆.

If you were impacted by this post feel free to like, comment and above all share with someone(s) you believe it will bless. I also invite you to follow my Facebook pages: God's ArTwork -Yve Azar and Andika'mi Books and publications where I share matters Life and Art, and matters Vision and Purpose respectively. I will also be sharing some of my architectural projects and their stories, so stay tuned.

This post was inspired by the song Brave the Waves by Njeri Wambugu 

Link: https://youtu.be/23yig3z6fWY