“Come away by yourselves to a desolate place and rest a while.” Jesus
I have taken this prompt a number of ways in my writing before, and used this as an exercise as a planning tool when coaching others. You can write a really imaginative piece and see where it leads, exploring how your ideal day would go. Or you could allow the prompt to assist you, as a tool to help brainstorm possibilities of having a better day with your specific goals in mind. Today we imagine our perfect day and plan away with our pen…
Because I often tend to cram too much into a day, this exercise helps me sit back, breathe and consider how to reorder my days to fit in things I might be skimping on or what I need to cut back on. When I did the 31 Days of Fitting in Fitness on my former blog Beneath the Surface: Breath of Faith, I posed these questions for those on the journey. So, here they are for you and your life now…
What areas of your life need to be kicked up a notch?
What parts of your self feel neglected Physical, Intellectual, Spiritual, Relational?
What small step can you take to nurture and nourish these aspects better , daily?
What kinds of things make you feel refreshed, renewed, inspired?
OR
I am currently reading Bonnie Gray’s “Finding Spiritual Whitespace”, a book I am growing to appreciate more every day. This breathing room, “Whitespace”, place of grace, rest and hope offers us the opportunity to tune into ourselves and what we need, especially if we are prone to self neglect.
Let’s consider the question does our “perfect day” offer us rest we long for but seldom experience? What might we do to experience the rest that allows us the flexibility and grace to adapt to the less than perfect days that make up the majority of our lives knowing and trusting God loves us as we are, right where we are ?
Or
Another favorite author of mine who is an example of one who knows the rest women long for in Christ, in life is Elisabeth Elliot- Springboard off of any of these quotes of hers:
“By trying to grab fulfillment everywhere, we find it nowhere.”
“The life of faith is lived one day at a time, and it has to be lived – not always looked forward to as though the “real” living were around the next corner. It is today for which we are responsible. God still owns tomorrow.”
“If my life is surrendered to God, all is well. Let me not grab it back, as though it were in peril in His hand but would be safer in mine!”
“The heart which has no agenda but God’s is the heart at leisure from itself. Its emptiness is filled with the Love of God. Its solitude can be turned into prayer.”
Oh, and if your perfect day includes a hammock, there is no judgement here! Have fun! Happy Journaling!
This post is part of a series:
To find out more or see all posts for The 21 Days of Journaling in June Click HERE
Also, I will be serving up alternative prompts and thoughts daily on the Facebook page!
Enthusiastically, Dawn 
Still playing catch-up here. Sometimes I really have to think about the prompts a lot before I can put the pen to paper. (Or fingers to the keyboard — that is some much better for me!)
Right now I’m stumped about yesterday’s prompt & the 24 hours in history I would most like to see. There are so many ways I’d like to go with this one & I just can’t seem to narrow it down to one. I’ve thought about the day our son died or going with God on September 11 & the World Trade Center Tragedy or going way back to the Revolutionary War as our forefathers fought for our freedom from England or even father when Dave’s 6th Great Grandfather decided to come to America.
Now I get to ponder my perfect day!
Thanks Dawn for your inspirational prompts.
LikeLike
If it makes you feel any better, I am behind- and the last week of June I will be working on some of the prompts…or whenever the spirit moves me…or the muse or whatever. How about going back to the beginning? Creation? The Garden of Eden? THe disciples on the Road to Emmaus, Mary at the Tomb? Jesus, with Joseph as a boy? Anyay…no stress, Happy Journaling, Ann!
LikeLike
Good prompt.
LikeLike