On Feeling Refreshed

Let me describe for you one of my favorite scenarios (that happens entirely too rarely): Getting clean, putting on clean PJs, crawling into clean sheets on a bed in a clean, cool room and sleeping until I feel like waking up. I could almost drool thinking about making it happen. I can come close some weekends but there usually seems to be something that keeps the scenario from completely playing out. Another thing I love is new clothes that fit really well and make me feel "cute". (which is another rare occurrence) At the root of those two things is the notion of feeling comfortable and well rested. To me, those things feel refreshing. They make me feel all energetic and light.The truth is that I could name lots of things that physically or mentally put me in a "happy place".

When I had my revelation a couple of weeks ago, I felt very unsure about what it would all mean to daily life. Although exciting, "happy place" isn't how I would describe the feeling at all. I don't actually care for that much change, especially large amounts of it all at once. YUK! I'm sad to say that I can't easily list things that have made me feel "spiritually" light or refreshed. Spiritual things always seem to feel heavy or a lot like work. I've learned this last couple of weeks that I feel that way because I've been doing faith completely wrong. What I thought I was doing was striving to please God but in actuality I was just mindlessly checking off a "good Christian stuff to do" list under my own power.  YIKES!

This is what I read today from the book I've been reading: (Parts Paraphrased)
     I can enter the Room of Grace only when I humbly acknowledge that I need to trust God and                                       others with myself and give up my striving to be godly.

&

Grace brings us adoption into God's family, a new identity, a new life, new power, new capacity & God's full protection - with absolutely no strings attached!

Tonight I feel spiritually light. I actually wrote 3 or 4 pages of notes that are equally as awesome as the two I shared. I feel comfortable and refreshed. I think for the first time perhaps, I feel actually close to God instead of theoretically close or just wowed by something I've read. It's a nice feeling that I look forward to experiencing more of.