Be Encouraged

 

Atomic Habits- a book review

 

Atomic Habits by James Clear is a good resource if you are at a point where you want to change some bad habits for good habits.  I'm in the process of doing so myself and this book has been a tremendous encouragement to me in my journey.

The point of the entire book is that all we need to do is 1% better each time than the time before and the accumulation of all those one percents will get us changed habits.

This is accomplished by four laws...

1.) Make it Obvious;

 

2.) Make it Attractive;

3.) Make it  Easy; 

4,) Make it Satisfying

 

I've always been a goal setter...but not necessarily a goal achiever.  It didn't take much reading in this book to determine why that has been the case.  I've not been willing to start out slow and build on each layer of the new habit that I've tried to create in order to achieve my goal.  Mr. Clear, more than once in the book, reminds the reader that it isn't the goals that we have wrong...it's the systems we have for reaching them.

Allow me to share a few quotes from the book.

" 1. Decide the type of person you want to be.

   2. Prove it to yourself with small wins." (page 39)

And in response to the fact that we all want to "fit in" because it's part of our nature, the author says this...  "When changing your habits means challenging the tribe, change is unattractive.  When changing your habits means fitting in with the tribe, change is very attractive."   He continues, "Once we fit in, we start looking for ways to stand out."  Both of these quotes (found on page 121) are so true of our human nature, but the last one makes me chuckle because it's so true.  We want to do what everyone else is doing so we fit in but then we just want to be different enough from the crowd to stand out.

In reference to "having to do something" and "getting to do something" and how it affects our outlook on life..."You get to wake up early for work.  You get to make another sales call for your business.  You get to cook dinner for your family.  By simply changing one word, you shift the way you view each event.  You transition from seeing these bahaviors as burdens and turn then into opportunities." (page 131)

"Change is easy when it's enjoyable" (page 193)  Mr. Clear gives an example of how giving people in a town that was over crowded and the majority of people were living in unsanitary conditions in Pakistan a bar of soap that smelled good and lathered nicely instructing them in how to use it brought down the rate of diarrhea by 52 percent, pneumonia by 48 percent, and impetigo, a bacterial skin infection, by 35 percent.  It was just a small change of habit, but it brought about great results.

"Gradually, though, as you continue to layer small changes on top of one another, the scales of life start to move.  Each improvement is like adding a grain of sand to the positive side of the scale, slowly tilting things in your favor.  Eventually, if you stick with it, you hit a tipping point.  Suddenly, it feels easier to stick with good habits.  The weight of the system is working for you rather than against you." (page 252)

Mr. Clear speaks of how often times when we start out to change our habits and are becoming accomplished with it, we don't pay as much attention to how we are doing something and are okay with not doing our very best to improve.  He reminds the readers that this is a downfall and shares the secret on (page 253),  "The secret to getting results that last is to never stop making improvements.  It's remarkable what you can build if you just don't stop."

I highly recommend this book if you desire to turn bad habits into good ones.  You will need to read the whole book (264 pages) in order to glean the information, but it's definitely worth it in my opinon.

Kindness ~ a Discussion

 The prompt from Lisa for our One Word post for the month of August was to choose three people with whom you could discuss whatever your One Word for 2024 is.  She gave us a few sample questions that we could ask the people we chose.  I found these questions to be helpful because it gives a well rounded concept of the word.

You may remember if you've been reading here this year that my One Word for 2024 is Kindness.  It came about as I was reading Romans 12 at the end of last year.  That chapter deals a lot with pride versus humility.  When I thought about what the opposite of pride was I immediately thought of Kindness...and that's what I have pursued these last eight months!  

What I found in my conversations with these people that I chose to help me with this prompt is that their answers were quite similar!  

Here's a bit of a summation in my own words of what the others had to share with me.

Kindness can be described as putting others before ourselves, which can lead us to being patient, a good listener, not being judgmental.  Looking to Scripture we could easily define kindness as doing unto others and you would have them do unto you. (Matthew 7:12).  

Therefore, the definition for the opposite of kindness would be self-exaltation...putting oneself above others.  It would include things such as being rude to a person, or judgmental, or just plain ignoring them.

These last eight months since I have been pursuing Kindness I have found myself noticing "kindness" everywhere.  I see it in people's smiles, in people opening doors for me (as well as my doing the same for others), giving assistance when someone needs it...general courtesy coming through to our fellow man.  As one friend said, "hopefully, kindness is an automatic thing with me, but there are those times..."  I get that.  Here again...the answers to the questions that I asked these friends have been so close to being identical.  Another one responded when asked how frequently they thought about kindness, responded that they thought about it most often when they had been unkind.

Kindness shows up most in our daily lives as we interact with others.  My interaction with others is rather limited on a daily basis, so for me, kindness shows up the most in my marriage relationship with my husband.  I can choose to treat him with kindness as well as speak to him with kind words...in other words, not be a Grump!  And also, I don't think that the interaction necessairly has to be with humans.  If we have pets, then our kindness stretches to them as well.  But aside from the everyday happenings in the home, when I am out and about I find many ways to be kind to those that the Lord puts in my path.

The last question that I asked these ladies was "any suggestions for how I can better practice kindness?"  There was one answer that really stood out to me and I think it's a great way to end this blog post.

"Remember to live in the present and to focus on the fact that we live for an audience of One to Whom we will give account."

Making Grape Juice

 Last Wednesday and Thursday Strongheart and I had a lot of fun...seriously!

It all started here...

where he harvested these beauties...

He brought them to the porch, where we sat and stripped the pods of grapes so that I could then take them to the kitchen and wash them and get them ready for us to use in our new "toy".

It's a fruit steamer and it worked splendidly!

Let me introduce you to its parts and how they function.

This is the very bottom section of the three tiered steamer.  It is filled with five quarts of water and you will notice that it also has some marbles floating.  The marbles serve the purpose of letting you know that the water is boiling.  If the marbles quit making noise, then you know your water is getting low or it has quit boiling.

The second section of the steamer is this, which Strongheart commented looked a bit like a tube cake pan.  The hole in the middle is where the steam comes up through from the bottom.

Then the top part is where the grapes are placed.  It looks a bit like a colander.  The container is filled to the top and as the steam causes the grapes to release their juice, the juice filters through the holes to go down to the second section.  Once the colander is filled, the lid is placed on top and the heat is turned on.

Notice the hose coming out of the second section and the clamp that allows the flow of the juice to be controlled.

The next part is the boring part...you simply let the grapes steam for 1 1/2 - 2 hours.

Then the real fun begins....

filling the jars!

We did five quarts on Wednesday...just one time of filling the pot since it was our first time using this method.

And we had 11 quarts on Thursday.  This isn't concentrated, so this winter when I want to make jelly or we want to have grape juice to drink, we just need to open a jar of juice and there we have it.

You may wonder why it is that we found this to be fun so I looked back through our pictures and found this video of how we used to do it.

This is Strongheart using the press that belonged to his father.  We would wash the  grapes, cook them down to get the juice flowing and then carry that out to the porch and he would run them throughthe press.  Let me just say, that the squeezing of that took muscle.  

From My Journal

 TODAY IS: August 25, 2024

AROUND ME: Summer temps are back, as I knew they would be, but we certainly did enjoy those several days in a row when the highs were in the 60s and 70s, with the lows in 40s and 50s.  One night it got down to 38..

I AM PONDERING:

 

AMONG MY FAVORITE THINGS:  

These little guys make me smile as they stand around on the desk.

I love clowns...but not the mad kind.

These came from various Etsy shopsover the years.

BOOKS I AM CURRENTLY ENJOYING:  

  Refreshment for the Soul is a collection of Richard Sibbes thoughts on different topics and is compiled as a devotional.  So, it will be an ongoing reading throughout this year.

The Soul's Conflict  by Richard Sibbes

I AM THANKFUL FOR: my hard working husband.  I think he could easily compete with the Energizer Bunny.    

FROM THE KITCHEN: I tried a new pancake recipe last week that is gluten free.  It turned out really well...nice and fluffy pancakes.

SOMETHING I REALLY ENJOY: Living in the present so I can enjoy the blessings in my every day life.

TO DO LIST FOR TODAY:  Washing down the porch and putting out autumn decor.

"So teach us to number our days, that we may present to You a heart of wisdom."

Psalm 91:12

Be Encouraged

 

Taking a Canning Break Today...

because...

the grapes are ready to be harvested!

Later on there will be pictures of the process of turning the grapes into juice.

The Journals of Jim Elliot ~ a book review

 

The Journals of Jim Elliot by Elisabeth Elliot is a book that I've been looking forward to reading.  I purchased the book last autumn and it had been on my bookshelf until January when I signed up for the TBR challenge over at MY READER'S BLOCK.  In order for a book to qualify for the challenge it had to be one that had been on my shelf previous to the beginning of the challenge.  This one definitely qualified!

Jim Elliot was a remarkable young man, filled with godly wisdom and a deep desire to serve his Lord.  He wasn't out to make a name for himself but his sole desire was to bring glory to God, not only in his preaching and ministry, but in his personal life as well.  "I do thank Thee that Thou hast not made me first a minister to men but first a priest toward Thee, to bring glory to Thee in the sanctuary." This was a journal entry from March 20, 1948 on his notes from Exodus 28. (page 40)  

"He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most high (the father's tent) shall abide under the shadow of the almighty.  Their ability as builders in God's house rested upon their acquaintance with the Master Builder.....if I display earnestness for God's work, He will give strength and wisdom to accomplish it."  This was a journal entry from March 23, 1948 on his notes from Exodus 31. (page 42)

To share a bit of the depth of his desire to please God, I share this quote from September 3, 1948 when Jim was on his way to a conference of the Plymouth Brethren. "Thoughts came to me afresh as to "lifting up" Christ.  My preaching last month was on the whole service for service's sake.  Oh, how I thank Thee, Father for my earthly father who has seen the truth as to motives for service.  It is not the winning of souls nor the spreading of missions that should inflame me." (page 82)

October 21, 1949 finds Jim entering in his journal about something he learned that day.  "Today I learned the meaning of that word, "For of Him and through Him and unto Him are all things." (Romans 11:36) as it applies to circumstances.  Every surrounding factor in my environment is from Him.  The administration of it to my personality is through His doing.  The effect of it in me and as my person reverberates the experience is unto Him, for His glory.  I am not, therefore, called to be a slave of circumstance, for circumstance is His servant on my behalf, doing for me what He would do were He here to do it.  In being His servant for my good, circumstance becomes also my servant, and from this time henceforth I shall be a fool for doubting."  (page 171)

There is one quote that Jim Elliot is noted for and it's found on page 174 under the entry for October 28, 1949..."He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose. "

I realize this review is getting a bit long, so I will share just one more quote that really spoke to me.  It's found on page 353 in the entry for December 5, 1951. It comes after he had preached that night and felt as though he hadn't prepared sufficiently, didn't have any liberty, or power.  "How sadly and how slowly I am learning that loud preaching and long preaching are not substitutes for inspired preaching."

Those are just a few of the entries that really spoke to my heart as I read.  As one might suspsect, the book read like a journal of Jim's life from January 1948 through December 31, 1955.  Two days later is when Jim, along with Pete Fleming, Ed McCully, Nate Saint and Roger Youderian set up a camp which they named "Palm Beach".  On January 6, 1956 the men's hopes were realized as two women and a man appeared out of the jungle!  They even spent hours with the missionaries.  All was looking as though the Indians were beginning to trust the missionaries.  It was just two days after this event that the five missionaries were speared to death.

I appreciated this book for so many reasons.  It has strengthened my faith, it encouraged my heart as I read of the love story between Jim and Elisabeth, and it helped me to understand where Jim stood theologically.

I would definitely recommend this book of 477 pages!  I have to admit that if the book had been edited by anyone other than Elisabeth I may have been a bit hesitant to read it simply because the details of their relationship were documented in Jim's journals.  Knowing that Elisabeth is the one that gave the go ahead (and why she did) on these particular entries helps me to understand her even better, as well as Jim and the struggles that he had.

Just a Little Note

 

I want to take a few minutes to thank each one who takes time out of your day to stop by and say hello.

Your comments encourage my heart.

It's one of the things I love about the world of blogging...

getting to know people from far and wide...

many from the U.S. and others from countries I only dream of visiting.

There have been several new people who have dropped by and to those folks I want to say welcome. 

 Even though I consider myself an introvert, I always enjoy meeting new people.

My mother was one who always encouraged my brothers and myself to treat everyone the same, regardless of their station in life or the fact that they were from a different culture.

She taught us this by her example.

She worked in a research lab at WVU and was in contact with students from all over the world. 

 She was never hesitant to bring them home

 or help them with whatever needs they had..

.especially those who were setting up housekeeping for the first time in a new country, where many things were unfamiliar to them.

I just wanted to take time to say thank you and to mention,

 for the sake of those who are new here,

that when you leave a comment, 

I always reply here under your comment.

I think it's a personal thing for each blogger,

but when I started blogging many years ago I just felt that, because blogging 

was such a personal thing for me,

 if someone took the time to leave kind words for me that the least I could do was respond.

It's more than just common courtesy on my part.

It's a way that I get to know each of you better.

May you find encouragement here with each visit.

From My Journal

TODAY IS: August 19, 2024

AROUND ME: We have been enjoying some beautiful rains over the past week.  The first part of the week we had autumn like days with daytime temps in the 70s and nights in the 50s.  Mid-week the temperatures went up some and the humidity increased a lot.  Beginning today our temps are to return to those of early last week and one night the low is to be in the 40s!  Ahhh...my kind of weather.

I AM PONDERING: 

AMONG MY FAVORITE THINGS:  

A few weeks ago, Strongheart's favorite mug got a chip in it.

Since it was no longer safe to be used, 

I decided to surprise him with this mug that I ordered from the Etsy shop

 Stonehouse Pottery Ohio .

The potter does beautiful work and best of all Strongheart loves it!

BOOKS I AM CURRENTLY ENJOYING:  

  Refreshment for the Soul is a collection of Richard Sibbes thoughts on different topics and is compiled as a devotional.  So, it will be an ongoing reading throughout this year.

The Soul's Conflict  by Richard Sibbes

The Atomic Habits by James Clear

I finished The Journals of Jim Elliot and it was so good.  A review will be coming soon!

I AM THANKFUL FOR: the grace given ability to memorize Scripture.  I've been working on memorizing Romans 12.  When I began this task in January, I didn't care if it took me all year to memorize it because I'm not in a race.  All that I asked was that the Word of God would indeed be active in transforming and renewing my mind.  I started with verse 17 this morning.   

FROM THE KITCHEN: 

Last Monday and Tuesday I turned these tomatoes above 

into 21 pints of diced tomatoes!

I'm so thankful to have these on my canning shelves again!

These combined with the five pints I had left from last year will give us enough for the winter!

SOMETHING I REALLY ENJOY:  Another "story" of the Littles next door.  They were leaving yesterday to go to their grandmother's and stopped to say hello to Strongheart.  He invited them to come over and pick grapes and raspberries.  They were gone the majority of the afternoon and early evening.  Strongheart was out weeding one of the flowerbeds when they pulled in at the top of their driveway and the youngest girlie called out to him and asked if it was okay if they came over then to pick the grapes and raspberries.  They hadn't even made it to their house yet!

Of course he told her yes and shortly there were two Littles walking over.  The Little Guy had to have some rhubarb.  He reminds me of me when I was his age.  Just pull it up and start eating!  He didn't like the grapes because they had seeds in them, but that didn't bother the youngest girlie.  Before all was said and done, their older sister came over too.  They bring us so much joy!

TO DO LIST FOR TODAY:  A bit of cleaning and decluttering.

"So teach us to number our days, that we may present to You a heart of wisdom."

Psalm 91:12

Be Encouraged

 

Finishing Our Course with Joy - a book review

 

Finishing Our Course with Joy by J. I. Packer was such a blessing to read and one that I plan to keep on my bookshelf to read again and again.  As the subtitle states,  the books contents deal with "Guidance from God for Engaging with Our Aging."  

I've had this book since last fall and obtained it from the book table at our church.  Our pastor is so good to order in books and put them on the back table.  They are books that I know I can trust to benefit my growth as a Christian.  This one is no exception.

The book has a total of 99 pages...so it's a short read.  It has the sum total of four chapters.  Chapter 1 is "We Grow Old".  Chapter 2 is "Soul and Body".  Chapter 3 is "Keeping Going" and Chapter 4 is "We Look Forward".

Mr. Packer contrasts the way our culture views retirement with the true Biblical view of what it means to retire.  Our culture promotes the folks who are of retirement age to just give up responsibilities and let others do for us.  But the author contends that as Christians, while our bodies definitely slow down and not everything functions as it did in our younger years, we still do not need to be put out to pasture, so to speak.  We still can be as active as our bodies and minds allow us to be in ministry...in sharing the Lord with others.  

Our growth as a Christian should not end when we reach retirement age.  We still have much to look forward to as Jesus tells us that He has gone ahead to prepare a place for us when our bodies here are no longer able to function.  We still need to be about studying our Bibles (not just reading them), encouraging others, spending time in prayer with our Father...the list goes on.

I will be 75 in a few months and this book was such a great source of encouragement to me...especially because of the timing of my reading it.  I had been sick and had a major fibromyalgia flare in the middle of being sick.  Strongheart was having some eye related surgeries.  I was definitely feeling the impact of our bodies not functioning like they used to.  But then as I read this wonderful book I smiled because the things Mr. Packer encourages us to do are things that I can't live without doing!  It's not about the here and now...it's about looking forward to our Blessed Hope and what He has in store for us.

Another interesting fact that I didn't know until I was discussing the book with our pastor is that J.I.  Packer was in his 70s when he developed glaucoma to the point that he could no longer see to read or write.  He lived to be 93...and died just five days before his 94th birthday.  

The Lovingkindness of the Lord

 

We had some daylilies that needed to be moved,

but the only problem was...we didn't have a place to move them to.

A lady whom we go to church with was talking with Strongheart

one day after church and he was telling her that he guessed that he'd just throw them over the bank.

She said she thought she knew someone who might be interested in them if he was certain he didn't want them.

It turns out that the "someone" was actually this woman's daughter.

Arrangements were made for the daughter, along with her sister whom we also go to church with, came one Saturday afternoon to dig them up.

Strongheart helped with the digging of course and before we knew it the back of her SUV was filled with daylilies.

As she closed the back of her vehicle, her sister said to her,

"We mustn't forget to give them that something you brought for them."

The woman opened her car door and pulled out the birdhouse that you see pictured above.  We had never met this lady before, but it was like I'd known her forever...and she knew me.  Of course, her sister is a close friend of mine, so she may have helped her with the decision.

The lady said that she wanted to do something for us for giving her the flowers and she knew we wouldn't take any money.  So that was the reason for the birdhouse.

I love metal things, which this is, and also the color is perfect.

It hangs outside the kitchen window where I can enjoy it while doing the washing up.

God's lovingkindness never ceases to amaze me.

From My Journal

 TODAY IS: August 12, 2024

AROUND ME: We were blessed with 2 and 2/10ths inches of rain last week, for which we are very thankful.  While we aren't expecting anymore rain other than a possible shower late tomorrow night, we have also been blessed with much cooler temps and much less humidity for which we are thankful.  My heart goes out to all of those who have lost so much as a result of Debby.

I AM PONDERING: the blessing of friendship.  About seven years ago we were able to reconnect in person with a friend we've known for almost fifty years.  He was pastoring a Mennonite church about 45 minutes from us and we would enjoy getting together about once a month with him and his wife for lunch at a restaurant close to their home.  He recently retired and they moved South to be close to family as his wife is going blind.  Strongheart and I ate breakfast on Saturday morning at the same restaurant where we used to meet with our friends.  It wasn't quite the same without them.  

AMONG MY FAVORITE THINGS: 

This Rose of Sharon is something that I look forward to every year.

Shortly after we moved here 25 years ago, our son and daughter-in-law sent us several trees through the Arbor Day Foundation.  This Rose of Sharon was among them.  I love its color.

One of our little neighbor girls was visiting a few months ago and when she saw the bush, she said, "I remember this bush.  It's the one with the pretty pink flowers."

She's a lover of flowers like me. :)

 BOOKS I AM CURRENTLY ENJOYING:  

  Refreshment for the Soul is a collection of Richard Sibbes thoughts on different topics and is compiled as a devotional.  So, it will be an ongoing reading throughout this year.

The Soul's Conflict  by Richard Sibbes

The Journals of Jim Elliot by Elisabeth Elliot...I'm down to just over 100 pages left to go with this book and I am looking forward to doing a review once I am finished.  It's such a wonderful book!

I AM THANKFUL FOR:  

FROM THE KITCHEN:  No pictures today and no recipes...but I do have a super simple crockpot idea for a beef roast.  Place the roast in the bottom of the crockpot and dump in one jar of the Greek Pepperoncini peppers.  Turn crockpot on low and cook for 6 hours (more or less, depending on the size of your roast).  Delicious!  We had that last week, only I used a venison roast.  The brine from the peppers breaks down the fibers in the meat and makes it ever so tender!  I used some of the juices at the end and made some gravy with it, and made mashed potatoes and other sides.  Yummy!

SOMETHING I REALLY ENJOY:  The "Littles" from next door.  I know I have spoken about them before but they really do brighten up our day.  Here's an example.  

Strongheart went outside the other morning and found the Little Guy's bike laying on the opposite side of our gate.  Later that day, the family was driving by and stopped to talk with Strongheart.  When he asked Little Guy (he's starting Kindergarten this fall) where his bicycle was, Little Guy said he didn't know.  Strongheart told him that he knew where it was...it was down by the gate.  He asked Little Guy, "Were you coming over to see me?"  And Little Guy said, "Yes".

They have been gone quite a bit this summer as they love to camp, so we haven't seen as much of them as we normally do.  They were over earlier last week and I guess Little Guy realized how much he missed us.  They were getting ready to leave again for camp and had been out for the evening.  When they got home it wasn't quite dark yet and I heard Mom calling for Little Guy and I guess we now understand what was going on.  He and his sister call it "running away from home".

TO DO LIST FOR TODAY: 

Working up these beautiful tomatoes we purchased at an Amish roadside stand last Saturday!  I'm excited to have lots of pints of diced tomatoes on my shelves again for winter.

"So teach us to number our days, that we may present to You a heart of wisdom."

Psalm 91:12

Be Encouraged

 

Abiding Dependence - A Book Review

 

Abiding Dependence by Ron Block is written as a devotional book for a 40 day period.  I came across this book last fall when I was given some credit through Moody Publishing.  I had asked a lady I knew quite well at that time for a recommendation and she recommended this book.  It did not disappoint.

As one might guess by the title, the book's focus is about abiding in Christ...living our lives in Him rather than trying to live life in our own strength and power. 

This would be an excellent read for the Lenten season.  Even though I have read it straight through I plan to put it back to use as my Lenten devotional for next year.  Due to the number of daily readings, the subject matter and the fact that each chapter is between 3-5 pages long (mostly 3) makes it ideal for something like that.

The author reminds the reader many times of who we are in Christ if we are a Christian...a true Believer in Him.  

As I read through the book I was trying to make mental notes of parts that I would want to share.  It's one of those books that the Holy Spirit may speak to each person differently as they read through it, but there are a couple of quotes that I would like to share here.  Perhaps they will be helpful for someone.

The chapter titled "Be Weak" gives a clear description on what rest is.  "To clairfy, rest is not passivity; it produces the opposite.  Resting in Christ gives us a capability to do much more than working from our own strength.  It's active.  We sit, we quiet our soul-noise, and listen.  We expect God to give us the wisdom we lack, the strength we need.  These are all actions - inner actions.  And taking this kind of inner action and making it a habit begins to transform our thoughts, attitudes, and outer actions." page 99

He then continues to illustrate what he is saying. "Practicing guitar from a sense of confidence, ability, and sufficiency gives me a  sense of trust and hope about improving and playing well.  This give me a more restful attitude and allows me to pay attention to my technique. I learn more quickly, and faster learning builds a sense of confidence, ability, and sufficiency.  It's a positive, self-fulfilling loop.  Confident faith makes me more active, not less, because I work from hope - the expectation of good things coming." page 100

Mr. Block continues, "Which is more passive in a heated discussion - taking a breath or two to rest in Christ and recognize He is in you and in the other person, and then responding with love and patience, or reacting with fleshly effort to convince the other person you're right?  Entering His rest, or a primal reaction?" page 100

And to continue with the last example he gives, "Which is more passive - to live every day in fear, tension, and stress, letting our minds wander willy-nilly over every possible bad scenario, or to be continually 'casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you'(1 Peter 5:7 ESV), and using our imaginations to think through possiblities?  Tumbling in the flood of our natural reactions, or trusting God to be our strength to get us to the solidity of the riverbank?"page 100

"Recognizing our weakness is the way to standing in His strength."  page 100

I would definitely recommend this book because it is a rich reminder of who we are in Christ and how He desires us to rest in Him.