Hope in the Midst of Restlessness

Hope in the Midst of Restlessness

6DD434F7-D690-476B-AFC2-C1FDA9081DBD

Hope in the Midst of Restlessness

I am a pacer. I pace when I’m bored, when I’m restless, and when I’m anxious. I don’t know why I choose to pace, it rarely solves the underlying cause. In fact, what usually happens, my emotions begin to rise and fall with the ever increasing pace of my heartbeat, and as my emotions rise, I pace faster. My solution for my restlessness, I usually take a walk in the forest preserve to change my focus and I pray.

Seeking King Jesus in prayer has become my go to solution for pacing. Once I begin to ask for His help to calm my soul, my rapidly beating heart begins to slow, and the feeling of restlessness begins to loosen its stranglehold on my soul. I begin to feel my body relax, releasing it’s pent up tension, and I become more open to Jesus’ loving reminders. He’s got this and there is hope to be found in His presence. Although my circumstances haven’t changed, my attitude towards them has because of the prayers I’ve lifted to Jesus. 

Action, the need to do something, to take back control over what’s bothering us, even when we have no control. My action of prayer and walking, allows Jesus to break through my restless spirit and fill me with hope. Even if I only prayed, I might still get the release, but something about the physical movement helps me to regain focus and shut out the sounds around me.

On one particular day, after endless pacing, I took the action to walk and pray. As I was walking, the sun broke through the gloomy sky, illuminating the path before me, it was as if Jesus was speaking directly to me, “I am the light in the darkness.” 

The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
 (John 1:5)

“I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” (John 8:12)

We all experience restlessness in our lives, some experience it on a daily basis, but each of us deals with and processes our restlessness in different ways. As my faith matures, I’ve learned to face my restlessness head on, turning to prayer quicker, looking deeper within to determine the root cause. I’ve learned by turning to Jesus, His light usually illuminates the root cause of my restless spirit.

Prayer illuminates the darkness within and around us, including in our restless spirit. 

The action of seeking Jesus in prayer and voicing our restlessness, often provides a much needed emotional release, opening our hearts to allow Jesus the opportunity to help us determine the root cause and to remind us we’re loved and cared for by Him. The circumstances may not have changed, but through prayer, Jesus begins working within us to change our hearts and our focus. This change may not be immediate, we may need to repeat our prayers throughout the day, however, the more we turn to Jesus in prayer, the likelihood increases He will provide us a better focus and perspective.

Our unchanging, compassionate and loving Lord is always ready to listen to our plea for help in the midst of our restless spirit. He is the one constant, providing light in our life. His offer of light in the darkness happens as we take a step of faith towards Him, offering up our troubles and thoughts to Him. Though it can be difficult, taking the step by praying, allows for Jesus’ illuminating light and love to then fill us with hope.

Share Via...

Archives

1 thought on “Hope in the Midst of Restlessness”

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Scroll to Top