Purposeful Pause Bible Reading Challenge Week 1 Summary
Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning if you decide to make a purchase through my links, I may earn a commission at no additional cost to you. See my disclosure for more info.
August is flying by for our family! Yours too? I can hardly believe that we are halfway through this month. Welcome to the Purposeful Pause Bible reading challenge week 1 summary! If this is your first time visiting here, then I want to let you know that each month I host a Bible reading challenge here on the site and each week, we glance back at the verses we read the week before. Typically I post this summary on Friday or Monday, but the last few weeks, things have been a little crazy at our house and I’ve been running behind on posting.
To catch you up on a personal note, you may or may not know that my daughter, Taylor, has a rare metabolic disorder called mucopolysaccharidosis. A few weeks ago, I found myself needing to find new caregivers for her and for the last few weeks, I’ve been the primary caregiver for her. She is unable to walk, eat, shower, or do anything on her own, and caring for her is sweet, but time-consuming. Taylor is not doing well and could use your prayers. The neurological degeneration of her brain is giving us a roller coaster ride of seizures and bowel issues. All that to let you know, that I’ve not been able to post the weekly summaries on the blog like I’ve always done, but I’m catching up this week! Praise the Lord. At the bottom of this post, I share more about Taylor’s current status, but let’s catch up on the last week of reading. The August Bible reading challenge is all about God’s purpose in the pause and learning how to wait on His perfect timing. It’s always a blessings to see how God uses the monthly Bible reading challenge in my own personal life. Here we go!
Isaiah 30:15-26
Father, just as you wait for us, may we learn to embrace your timing as nothing less than perfection. #purposefuljournal#biblereadingplan
Psalm 27:7-14
Two days ago, the palliative homecare team came to our house for our sweet girl, Taylor. We want her to experience the most comfortable and content days possible and they are going to help us achieve that. We are definitely waiting on God. His timing, whether 6 months or 6 years, is perfect. He loves us too much for it to be anything less. So while stomping my foot or crying “unfair” seems like it would feel good, I’m determined to hold on to God’s promises and praise the Lord for his mercy never fails. Mostly I’m going to embrace the wait and learn to live in the tension of my flesh vs. the Spirit. It’s the hardest thing I’ve never done. And yet there is so much beauty when we accept and enjoy God’s purposeful pauses in our lives. Wherever your wait is today, He wants to meet you there. #biblereadingplan#purposefulpausejournal
Psalm 130:1-8
Good morning, Lord. My heart cries out to you this morning. I need you to hear me and I’m so grateful you do. Thank you for forgiveness. I don’t know where I would be without you. Your Word brings me hope when I’m waiting on your move. Thank you for your promises. My eyes are peeled, learning to live in the pause you’ve placed in my life. Help me to soak up your perspective in the wait, for I know that it is when my heart becomes more like yours that I can see you working through it. This morning I praise you for the hope your promises bring. I praise you for the love you continually offer. I praise you for always redeeming the bad for good and that you never, ever stop doing that. I can rest and wait in you, my faithful and loving God. Give me strength to continue in that today. Amen.
Happy Friday, Friends! #biblereadingplan#purposefulpausejournal
Acts 1:1-8
Micah 7:1-7
But as for me. I hope it’s the same for you. Rest well. #biblereadingplan#purposefulpausejournal
Psalm 37:1-7
Cause isn’t that what we do? We fret over someone else who isn’t doing right but seems to be blessed in spite of it. Not this morning! Jesus, let my heart be focused on You today. I have full confidence in Your plan and I know that You will complete it at the perfect time. Let me trust in You, delight in You, commit to You and be still before You. All the while knowing that Your timing is perfect. Amen. #purposefulpausejournal#biblereadingplan
Galatians 5:1-6
Through the Spirit. Father, thank you for the comfort and power of Your Spirit within me. May I be aware of all that You have while I wait on your timing. Amen. #purposefulpausejournal #biblereadingplan
Proverbs 8:23-36
On this wonderful Wednesday, as life threatens to rush you along, remember these two words: Wisdom waits. #purposefulpausejournal #biblereadingplan
Titus 2:11-15
I can only imagine. The reward of the wait. #purposefulpausejournal#biblereadingplan
Jude 1:20-25
My Taylor girl just had a seizure a few moments ago and will be recovering today. I’ve been thinking about heaven a little more lately. How the ultimate wait is perfect healing in heaven. Not only physical healing but healing on every level. Our emotions will no longer interfere with our ability to wait on God. Our wishes of “what if?” And “why me?” will be blanketed with a fresh understanding that His way & His timing is never anything less than the best. In the mean time? The waiting room isn’t boring and meaningless! Oh no. The waiting room includes action steps: building, praying, and keeping. What a beautiful place of surrender and service where we learn to wait well!
Father, give me strength to follow through on the opportunities you offer right now in the waiting space of life. #purposefulpausejournal#biblereadingplan
And that’s a wrap for our daily verses through the end of week 1! Wow, God’s faithfulness even in the waiting period is abundant throughout this Bible reading plan.
The most recent update on Taylor:
Only five years ago, my Taylor girl and I danced at her big sister’s wedding. Though her feet no longer cooperate, today our hearts danced together. For a few moments here and there, she knew I am Mama. She held my hand while I held the sippy cup and I sang a few old favorites like Jesus Loves Me and Joshua Fought the Battle of Jericho. One day the walls of her body will crumble to the ground and heaven will envelop her sweet soul with a new, beautiful body that I can only imagine. Until then, we determine to #praisehimanyway for He is good and his mercy endures. Forever.
Keep reading and praying! I’m so thankful for you!
By his grace,
Rachel
RESOURCES:
One More Step: Rachel’s book on finding strength when you feel like giving up
August Bible Reading Challenge details
August Bible reading plan & journal: Purposeful Pause- Waiting on God’s Perfect Timing
I know full well the difficulties families of children with disabilities face on a daily basis; wish I lived nearby and could help you. Thank you for the prayer waiting in the pause, my pause has been long, but I know the Lord has a plan for me in it. I copied it to read and re-read to help me keep the perspective.
in His grace,
Rachel, thank you for obeying God!! I am amazed at how you do all that you do and still look beautiful!!!!!!!!! If you can do what you do surely I can pick up my bible everyday for a few minutes!!! You encourage me
Hun, it’s sounds like both of us are in the trenches digging down and holding on to a frayed thread, on Jesus’ robe.
I have been in a battle for my own life..Have been getting worse in the last month myself. Missing six appointments with six specialists that are three hours away. They don’t know what it is.
On top of that my husband is off his thyroid medication. He has a disease that is enlarging his internal organs. Yet, he not telling me anything about it..
I Have been trying four months to get my new to me ADA ramp minivan fixed (Needs to have the engine dropped to replace the alternator.) and street legal with no luck. I simply do not have the money for anything.
I had a police officer looking at it yesterday, thinking that it’s a stolen vehicle and has been abandoned. I was not able to talk to him and explain the situation.
I have been served a court summons for a credit card I believed was being paid each month, only to find that the auto pay for it had been cancelled by a deadly loved so in reality, I am in such debt that I can not pay ever since I have no money of my own.
I am still trying to get SSI Benefits, but I have been denied seven times and we are appealing it again.
We are in the middle of many wildfires, so I am housebound due to respiratory issue and the beginning of heart failure. I need a respirator and a cool mist humidifier and a new easier to use vacuum cleaner..went to the doctor today and I have a viral infection. I was given two referrals for the neck,spine,shoulder,left arm and hand pain, inflammation and swelling. I am still trying to get proper medical treatment since 2014. But without any success as my doctors have pretty much given up on me.no pain medication,antibiotic, no Lorazepam for the PTSD and Bipolar Mania sleep issues. That being said, I have only had six hours sleep in one weeks time. Not able to afford the specific nutritional needs, but I am trying to use the Food Bank, but the choices are slim since we live in a rural community and so many poor people like us who have large families to care for. Not enough food donations being made. The cost of living is so high here.
I have a good friend who lost her husband and her estranged daughter has come in and along with the landlord is forcing her to be out of her own home by the first. I am so ill that I cannot help.
I could go on and on about my dreadful situation but I will not because having cheese and whine will not make it any better.
So as soon as I am able, I am cranking up TobyMac and try to do some cleaning and Crafting.
Crafting is my therapy. Most people are not aware that I was abused and nutritionally neglected and medically neglected. I have a tragic event in my family that tore the family apart, I have been disowned by my mother daughter and son simply because I chose to break the cycle and finally getting the help I do needed all those pitch black full of of pain and heartache.
I make many crafts and just gift them. That is the way God is taking the ashes of my life and creating beauty. Most people connect with my life journey so I do share it willingly, but I have been told by a pastor that I need to keep the Epic stuff to myself. I have said, “No, people who are hurting need to hear my story about redemption and to hear they are not alone”. Jesus came to heal these very wounds and he has called me to help the healing start. I have not been given a second thought by my home church in the eight years I have been writhing unintended physical pain. The sad thing is that they aok knew but did not care about me enough to check in on me to see if I was ok or even needing anything save for one that I just recently reconnected with and one other dear friend who I hardly ever see.
That coupled with the loneliness and having my heartwounds from not only the past, but from the present treatment by dearly loved ones who have no clue what homelife is for me, hurt me so deeply that I did try to commit suicide, simply because I wanted the pain of being treated like I have been when I was trying with God’s help to get better. But this dear sweet friend came to me and held me in my mess and told me about her fifteen year old son who is dead because of his suicide. She wept as she held me as I was weeping and going through withdrawal from my pain meds because I was taken off them cold turkey by a dodoctor who was not understanding me when I was trying to tell her that my physical pain is too high and to this day I am not able to get the medications that my body is requiring around the clock not as needed. I being refused them due to notes in my medical records saying that I am a ” Drug-seeking, Drug-abusing Non-Compliant Patient “.
I have been in so much pain it has crippled me. I have been waiting since age five to be healed, but I’m also knowing that it may not happen until I do get called home to Heaven.
So when you are praying tonight y’all please keep us covered in your prayers. we are neck high in a terrible situation where we live so please pray that we are protected along with my friends and the good neighbors.
Godspeed and may we all stay alert and stand our ground in our armor and faint not. (((hugz)))?
I have been praying for you all all of your family, Rachel and I will not stop. Hang tough, Sweet Sis!? ((hugz)))
Thank you for the update. I can’t imagine how she feels trying to communicate and can’t and how hard it would be for you. Praying for your family during these hard times. One day Taylor will again dance in heaven to lovely music.
Rachel,
I am praying for you & your family. Thank you so much for the update & mostly for the encouragement. God told you to write just what my heart needed to hear. Thanks so much!
Blessings to you, Pam!
Rachel, I see God’s Loving arms enveloping you and your family, His Healing hands Blessing you and your family, His Breathe of Love being injected into you and your family!
God is filling you with Gratitude!
Bless you, Dan!
My heart hurts knowing what this precious young lady is going through. I pray for God’s mercy and peace upon her and your family. You all are an inspiration to those of us with healthy children and grandchildren. May we never take His goodness to us for granted. My prayers are being lifted daily for you.
Thank you for praying, Pam!!
Hi Rachel,
You are in my thoughts and prayers. I pray that God continues to strengthen you and give you peace that surpasses all understanding, for He is a great God and He loves you. Rest in His love!
Good evening. My name is Chontel and i am all the way in south africa. Whenever i read your messages and hear about Taylor. Tears come to me. I lost my eldest son last year. He also suffered epileptic fits. They way you described the soul leaving to heaven being free just confirmed that my son is whole up in heaven. Walking running dancing smiling laughing. Knowing that he is at peace makes me feel peace. I will keep you in my prayers for Taylor.
Heaven is going to be such a wonderful place, Chontel. Hugs from oceans away.