Reseta packed up her things and headed down the road in the moving truck to her new apartment, putting old things and old ways behind her. It was a new place all of her own. As the rooms came together, she realized that there was one empty. What would she do? So, after some thought, Reseta decided to create a space with some special things. She had many presents she received through the years that had been binned away because there was no place to display them.
With some fresh of coats of paint, and the room in two different colors, (three in one color and another in a unique offset shade) she placed an area rug in the center. Upon bookshelves, wall shelves, and little tables Reseta unpacked her many precious pieces of memories. Something was still missing; she needed a place to sit down. Perhaps this could be a reading or thinking room for her.
As Reseta made her way through the store she couldn’t find anything that felt perfect. On the way out to the next store, she paused when outside the doors sat a cute little metal outdoor park bench. It was just the right size. But, it’s for outside? Reseta thought to herself, “Oh who says I can’t? Besides it would fit perfectly, and I can even carry this in all by myself.”
There Roseta sat in the evening by some dim candlelight just thinking upon old times. She spotted a sweet portrait on the wall that someone gave her several years back before they had a big dispute. She reflected on how they never did quite make peace. They never even apologized to her, but she wasn’t going to give up the gift. As she sat there on her bench trying to read a book, she kept thinking back. Her heart felt heavy, and something inside just hurt.
It was in those moments she began to feel different. There in the midst of her unwrapped presents, she felt a familiar presence that had been a while since she experienced. She closed her eyes and began to say a prayer. Reseta cried her hurts out loud. As she sat silent, she heard God speak to her. “I’ve never left you, my child. I receive the hurts you gave to me today and I ask that you don’t take them back. I will carry the burden. People in this life will hurt you, but I will never leave you. I am here to help. I am here to comfort those things that are unsteady in your spirit. I am here to guide you where you don’t have direction. I am always here to listen, to wipe the tears, and to share your joyful times.
Perhaps if Reseta didn’t buy that bench and place it in that room…she never would have sat down long enough to reflect on her life. She may have kept ignoring that voice within that needed to be dealt with. This way she could move forward to better things.
We all need to take a moment to press that reset button sometimes. We begin new chapters as old ones end. We all experience seasons of change. Through our moments of overwhelm, discouragement and disappointment – it is often in our quiet place we can get a refill from our creator. He provides a way to readjust, restart, and refocus the lens of our life.