Reset

By Gwendolyn Craddock

Doubts and fears, like a tangled web, seize each day. New threats and what-ifs become unwanted companions. Rushing through life and pursuing busy work becomes the norm until one morning the words “come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28 NIV) resound in my ears. This is a promise from Jesus. Could he be talking to me? Is he really El Roi, the God who sees? Does he really draw near? Pushing away from my desk, I glare out the window. The whole world is buzzing with life. It is like a drama unfolding. The walk is invigorating. His presence surrounds me. Focusing on him overrides those doubts and fears; they begin to flee. There is a closeness to him I’ve not felt as he calls me to reset. Words of assurance float through my mind from Psalm 46:10: “Be still and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”
Now it seems everything I see reminds me of his great love and his abiding presence. My prayer is you will find him faithful to untangle your doubt and fears and restore your joy as you journey through this little book, Reset.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Jul 12, 2023
• ISBN: 9798888324172

Book preview

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Reset

Gwendolyn Craddock

ISBN 979-8-88832-416-5 (paperback)

ISBN 979-8-88832-417-2 (digital)

Copyright © 2023 by Gwendolyn Craddock

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods without the prior written permission of the publisher. For permission requests, solicit the publisher via the address below.

Christian Faith Publishing

832 Park Avenue

Meadville, PA 16335

www.christianfaithpublishing.com

Printed in the United States of America

Table of Contents

Preface

Growing in the Storm

Spiderwebs and Waterfalls

The Neighborhood Rock

Broken on the Inside

Seeking Refreshment

Joyful Routine

Reminders from Ranger

A Treasure Awaits

Cease Striving!

Hidden Treasures

Clouds, Go Away

Follow Closely

Dreaded Thoughts

Sweet Reminders

Stop! Look! Listen!

It's the Simple Things

Thirsty Thursday

When the Way Becomes Steep

An Old Dish with a Message

The Calm after the Storm

The Creaking Gate

Charred Toast

A Gift to Enjoy

Tarnish Can Replace Luster

Snowflakes and Songbirds

Seize the Opportunity

An Invitation from a Shadow

Stop and Consider His Wonders

The Sound of Silence

The Bitter and the Sweet

You Can't Always Have Your Way

Watch for the Wind Text

Wrapped in a Web

Sailing Into a New Year

Sparkle and Shine

Keep Your Focus

Now What?

The Apple of His Eye

Hurry Scurry

A Shoot in a Stump?

He Is Waiting

A Gift Awaits

Never Alone

Growing Deep Roots

It's Gratitude Day

Howling for Help

Respond Please

A Storm's Forecast

Cranky Ushers in Thanksgiving

The Language of a Java Bean

Today is a Special Occasion

Outdoor Therapy Session

Sharing Is Caring

It's Okay

Breakfast Time

One of Those Days

Unfolding Into Something Beautiful

A Smiley Face?

Proven Winner

Better Days Ahead

Without Words He Speaks

Strangled by Beauty

Just like an Old Dishcloth

Faith Follows

Irons Filled With Wisdom

Doughnuts on a Rainy Day

Ouch!

Offline Again

Happy New Year!

A Rainy-Day Gift

A Stranger in the Night

Stargazing

Leaving Your Comfort Zone

A Gift to Be Shared

When God Opens the Curtains

Sweet Memories

Shadows Bring Hope

How's Your Prayer Life

Gratitude Glasses

Challenge or Opportunity?

Sulking in Stale Air

Stop! Look! Listen!

Too Comfortable for Your Own Good

Ruffled Feathers

Cracked and Broken

Sludge Removal

Growing Strong

Hectic Tuesday

Wait and Watch

An Easy Fix

Be Tenacious, Keep Your Focus

A Dilemma with Blessings

Reflection

Wind Messages

The Family Tree

Fellowship with a Stranger

About the Author

Preface

I don't know about you, but what-ifs reproduce at a rapid rate in my mind. They sit and smolder as they wait for other anxious thoughts to come fuel the flame. Standing at the kitchen sink with threatening thoughts, what-ifs chasing one another in my mind, I feel alone, forgotten, out of control. It's as if my anchor has floated out to sea.

The words be still; cease striving keep coming to mind. Oh, that's right, I'm supposed to be leaning on God during these stressful times, but he seems so far away. My prayers seem to bounce off the ceiling. Does he even hear me? My quiet time always seems to be interrupted. Does that mean he is not interested? Are my what-ifs not important to him? I am becoming more and more frazzled as anxious thoughts bubble and churn out of control.

Living in my own strength and seeking my own solutions is definitely not working. Be still, the words are constant companions, but I'm just unsure how to be still. After all, these thoughts, these what-ifs, are so real to me that I feel I have to do all that is within my power to keep them from really happening. Be still when you are being chased by threats of things that could possibly happen? Okay, I'll try prayer again. Father, please reveal yourself to me in a way that only you can. Amen.

As I go about my day, I stop to glance out the window. There, on a broken limb, sits a beautiful little Carolina wren singing to his heart's content. How could he sit there and sing? Does he know the limb he is sitting on is broken? It's not even attached to the tree; it just dangles between two limbs. Does he know he can plummet to the ground if a hard wind comes? There I go with the what-ifs again. Suddenly a different kind of thought comes to mind. It is like a banner written in bold letters just for me: "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding, in all your ways submit to Him and He will make your paths straight" (Proverbs 3:5–6 NIV; emphasis mine). This is really a big deal for me. Be still and trust—that is his message to me. Easier said than done, I sputter as I walk away and then a prayer crosses my lips:

Father, I recall your words: Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me for I am gentle and humble in heart and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light (Matthew 11:28–30 NIV). Please show me, Father, how to spend uninterrupted time with you that I might bring to you all my what-ifs, all my questions, all my anxious moments. Forgive me when I place myself in the seat of control. Thank you that I can always count on your never-ending love for me and your calm assurance that you have everything under control. Help me to rest in knowing your way is best. Amen.

Friends, this little book, Reset, was born that day. God keeps showing up in small things, reassuring me of his presence. His way is not always what I am seeking, but I rest in the comfort of knowing his way is best.

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. (John 3:16–17 NIV)

May his presence surround you and speak to you in new and meaningful ways as you seek him.

Growing in the Storm

Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the Lord our Maker.

—Psalm 95:6 (NIV)

Hard winds and heavy rains threaten my prized peony bushes. For many