Wednesday, September 04, 2019

Ja, ich darf... | Yes, I may...

Liebe/r Leser/in,

in der aktuellen Ausgabe der unsererseits geliebten Zeitschrift 'Lydia' (www.lydia.net, siehe aktuelles Titelblatt unten), die ausschließlich im absolut empfehlenswerten (Jahres-) Abonnement, das nicht gekündigt werden muß, erhältlich ist, ist aktuell der folgende Artikel veröffentlicht worden:


Wir hoffen, Du genießt ihn so sehr wie wir es tun...oder gönnst Dir bzw. Deiner Frau sogar 
das Abo als Geschenk zum nächsten Anlass?!

Kerstin mit Rainer




Dear reader,


in the current issue of our beloved magazine 'Lydia' (www.lydia.net, see picture below), which is available only in the absolutely recommendable (annual) subscription, which does not have to 
be canceled, the following article has been published:

https://www.lydia.net/koerper-seele/ja-ich-darf-284/


Have your read below the following picture showing the magazine's cover page.

We hope you enjoy it as much as we do and maybe even order the subscription for yourself or for your wife according to the upcoming cause?!

Kerstin mit Rainer







Yes, I may!
Living with my godly needs

"In every way we try to save time and make life easier. Why are we so stressed anyway?

In our home is a food processor, which can also cook and thus wonderfully healthy food prepared without me long in the kitchen. I can use the saved time for washing clothes or for other household chores. The wireless vacuum cleaner helps to suck the whole house without wasting time with annoying cable plugging. As a family we have two cars, so I can drive wherever I want, and not have to wait for the car to be available to me. Our washing machine with short cycle and our dryer are ready when it needs to go faster. Oh yes, and then there's the pressure cooker, with which I can quickly prepare soft potatoes that our daughter loves so much.
How grateful I am for all those everyday supporters who help me gain so much time!

Where is the problem?
But why do I still feel stressed, under pressure and sometimes I feel like I'm never good enough? With all this technical support, I was supposed to have gained time for my neighbors, for leisure, Bible reading, and for writing a loving letter to my recently ill granny! What am I doing wrong?

Always at the turn of the year, I ask God for a word that will shape my next year. My word for the past year was "Selah". This means as much as "taking a break" and "musically resting in God". I realized how difficult it is for me to actually take advantage of this rest. It is not just there in my life phase with small children. I have to fight it hard. It is important to take my needs seriously.

I know many people who are constantly ignoring their needs, ignoring them or not taking them seriously enough. The number of mental and physical illnesses is increasing. Even in my personal environment, it affects more and more people. This condition shocks me and makes me very sad.

It was important to me to find out how to protect myself emotionally and physically and keep me healthy, so that I cannot just run a "life sprint", but a "life marathon". That's why I looked at how Jesus dealt with his temporal challenges.

Learning from Jesus
What does the Word of God teach us about the Old and the New Testament on the topic of rest?

- God himself has rested one day after his work of creation (Genesis 2: 2-3). He who has all the power and power of the world. Why do we assume that we have power all seven days a week?

-    Biblically, the Sabbath is a holy day of rest (Exodus 20: 8-11). The hamster wheel and all other cogs should be resting for a day. Which day is our Sabbath day of the week?

- Jesus withdrew to recharge his father's strength (Mark 1: 35-39). Where do we create our "God oases" in daily life?

- Once Jesus instructed his disciples to rest, but then had mercy on the many people and yet became active (Mark 6,30-45). Then a great miracle happened. But what did he do after serving? He withdrew and rested. Are we ready to interrupt scheduled breaks from God and postpone them? And then catch up later?

Small self-check

If we are able to sense and name our needs, we are already a big step closer to a healthy lifestyle. Everybody has the following needs. If we answer yes to several of the questions, that is a warning signal.

1. Need for relaxation
The Sabbath is a divine principle. Often we only know tension, but we need the opposite pole as well.
Am I often sick?
Do I often feel overworked?
Do I feel permanently stressed, dull and exhausted?
Am I struggling to come to rest at all?
Do I have difficulty sleeping?

2. Need for pleasure
Enjoying God's good gifts is a breeding ground for joy.
Cannot I remember the last moment of enjoyment?
Do I think I do not enjoy anything?
Do I only have a few nice moments?
Does my life feel dreary, gray and meaningless?
Does the word "enjoyment" give me a guilty conscience?

3. Need for closeness
We are created for community.
Do I often feel isolated and lonely?
Is my last appointment months ago?
Do I envy friends and couples watching on the street?
Do not I want to celebrate my birthday because I suspect that nobody would come anyway?

4. Need for support
We are brothers and sisters in God's family.
Do I mostly want to do everything on my own?
Do I feel the requests for support as weakness?
Do I have the feeling of being alone?

5. Need for self-realization
God has given each one of us gifts and talents whose use gives us fulfillment.
Do I rarely have time for myself?
Do not I know anymore what I like to do?
Do not I have any hobbies or interests that I follow?
Am I rarely undisturbed?
Do not I have my own projects, but mostly invest in the projects of others?

Find a good balance

If we answer yes to several of the previous questions, that is a warning signal. We live in a very fast time with endless possibilities. No generation before us had to struggle with so many influences and possibilities. Our culture is characterized by performance thinking. If we do not take care of ourselves, we will reach our limits and overload ourselves.

Take five minutes to think about a need that you are currently paying little attention to.
We cannot and should not tip over from one extreme to the other. If I have not yet noticed my own needs and did not care for myself, that does not mean that from now on it should only be about me, because then I would become a Develop egoists. Try to start with a certain thing and find a good balance.

Now think about how you can make room for this particular need in the next seven days. I encourage you to live your life more self-determined and take care of yourself. Because you are worth it. God loves you - without any consideration. Rest in his presence and enjoy the gifts he has for you.

Time holes that become a blessing

My life now looks like we have a weekly Sabbath day as a family. Here all the machines stay off and we spend time as a family without smartphones. I have identified time-wasters - some digital media and perfection in the household - and do not allow them to rob me of precious lifetimes. I regularly check what God wants from me and say no to many great offers and opportunities so as not to overload me. Once a week, I overcome my inner bastard and do intensive strength and endurance training. My weekly schedule is usually Swiss cheese - many time-outs that God can use for the unforeseen. I would like to be a Christian, who not only theoretically but also practically wants to be available to Jesus. God has created wonderful situations from my time holes in the last few months, and I have become a blessing to others.

With hard years of work, with the help of my husband, the wisdom of good friends and a lot of discipline I have managed to live more consciously - and you can do it! Presumably a good friend can help you with this and you can be a blessing to each other."


Kerstin Knaack lives with her family on Lake Constance and is an independent consultant in the field of personnel and organizational development. Together with her husband, she educates and strengthens marriages, families, relationships and singles: www.RelateWorks.com. 
This article appeared in LYDIA 3/2019.