Posted on by jwlozano

Learning to Rest

This week’s blog is coming out a little later than usual because I just returned from a family vacation in Hawaii. Between the travel and the five hour time difference, my body is still adjusting back to Wisconsin time.

Our trip was incredible. Everywhere I looked, I was reminded of God’s creativity. The variety of plants, the beauty of the ocean, the mountains, the wildlife, it all pointed back to the Creator. God didn’t have to make the world so beautiful. He could have created one type of tree, one type of flower, and called it done. Instead, He filled the earth with incredible variety for us to enjoy. As I reflected on that throughout the week, I was reminded of how good and generous He is.

But this post isn’t really about Hawaii. It’s about something the vacation reminded me of, the importance of rest. I want to spend some time talking about a subject that is very important to me, the Sabbath.

My family and I have always tried to be intentional about setting aside a day for worship, family, and rest. We attend church on Sundays, spend time together, and are careful not to fill the day with endless errands and activities. It’s a habit I’ve let slip in some ways recently, especially when it comes to putting my phone aside, but it remains one of the healthiest rhythms in my life.

What I love about the Sabbath is that God Himself established the pattern. After creating the heavens and the earth, He worked for six days and rested on the seventh. Later, when He provided manna for the Israelites in the wilderness, they gathered it for six days, but on the seventh day there was none. God was teaching His people to trust Him enough to rest.

I’ve seen that principle at work in my own life.

During the pandemic, I began selling handmade masks through my Etsy shop. Orders poured in, and I found myself working 14 to 16 hour days just to keep up. I was constantly tempted to work on Sundays so I could get ahead. But I made the decision to continue honoring the Sabbath.

Looking back, I truly believe that weekly day of rest is what sustained me through that season. By stopping, worshiping, and trusting God instead of striving, I found the strength I needed for the days ahead.

I think one reason so many people feel exhausted today is because we never stop. For many of us, Monday through Friday is spent working. Saturday becomes the day to catch up on chores and responsibilities. Then Sunday becomes the day we spend preparing to do it all over again. We keep moving, but we never truly rest.

Yet I believe God offers us a better pattern.

There is an old saying, “The devil never takes a day off.” But I’ve heard someone respond, “God rested one day a week, so who are you trying to imitate?”

I’ve always found that thought provoking because Scripture calls us to be imitators of God. God modeled rest for us. He knows we are not designed to run endlessly without stopping. It was never His intention for us to live overwhelmed, anxious, and exhausted every day of the week.

Jesus said in Matthew 11 that those who are weary and burdened can come to Him and find rest. I believe that honoring the Sabbath is one practical way we do exactly that. We come to God and say, “Lord, I know there is still work to be done, but I’m trusting You enough to stop. I’m trusting You to provide what I need.”

We often quote Matthew 6:33, “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” Usually we think about material provision when we read that verse, but I believe rest is part of God’s provision too. When we seek His ways first, He gives us what we need, including peace, strength, joy, and rest.

So if you’ve never practiced a Sabbath before, I’d like to challenge you this week to give it a try. Set aside a day to truly rest. Spend time with God. Put aside the endless to do list. Trust Him with the things that will still be waiting tomorrow.

For me, that day is Sunday. For you, it may be another day depending on your schedule. The specific day matters less than the intentional choice to stop, rest, and trust God.

You might be surprised by how much you need it.

Posted on by jwlozano

Trust in the Lord

“I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.””
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭91:2‬ ‭NIV‬‬


In today’s world, it’s hard to know who to trust. One day, coffee is good for you. The next day, it causes cancer. One channel says it’s the end of the world. The other channel says everything is great.

I don’t know about you but this can get exhausting. I decided a long time ago that no matter what was going on, in the world, in politics, in my personal life, I was going to trust God. When our faith and trust is in God, it will put your mind at ease. You won’t be easily shaken by what you see or hear because you know God is in control and he is who you trust.

Find more inspiration and hopefully a few laughs on my podcast Seeking God, Loving Others.

Posted on by jwlozano

The Right Door

“Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.”
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭42:11‬ ‭NIV‬‬

I loved watching game shows when I was you get. I always like when the contestants got to choose their prize by selecting from a group of closed doors. The audience would yell at them and they’d look around frantically for the right guess.

I feel like that’s how many of us live our lives. We don’t know what to do so we look to others frantically for help in making major decision. Where to live, where to shop, where to send our kids to school.

I wrote a few days ago about choosing peace. What I love about making this decision is that I already know what’s behind the door. The psalmist was going through a rough time but he made a choice that gave him hope.

He didn’t have to guess what would happen if he opened the door to hope, he knew his soul would be revived. This day, my prayer is for you to choose hope and walk through it. Nothing is too hard for our God. Your miracle could be on the other side of your hope.

Posted on by jwlozano · 2 Comments

Choosing Peace

As I write this blog, I have a busy few days coming. Well, really a busy few weeks. I promise this is not a humble brag or me trying to flex a busy schedule on you, but in the next 3 weeks, I have my son’s 10th birthday, my mom flying into town, homeschool, gymnastics, blogging, podcasting, extracurriculars, my last weeks of marathon training and then running that marathon.

I don’t like busy. I don’t like a full calendar. I like lighting candles and sipping coffee. I like adult coloring and crossword puzzles. I like sitting in a blanket on my couch watching Bluey with my kids or without them. Bluey is a really great show!

I don’t like being busy because I feel like I have to choose between what I have to do and what I want to do. I have to choose what gets done and what doesn’t.

One thing that I am choosing every day is peace. I used to get really worked up when I had a busy season. I’d make lists of lists to make lists and cross out things on lists and tear up lists to make newer prettier ones. Don’t get me wrong, I do have a list! But it no longer stresses me out.

Isaiah 26:3 says “You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you.”
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Every morning, I focus my mind on Christ and receive the peace of God. What does this look like for me? It’s pretty basic. Instead of worrying about the laundry that I have done, I played restaurant with my kids. Instead of trying to run a billion errands for my son’s sleepover, I asked my husband to help out. Instead of rushing through my kid’s school lesson, we went to the library and got done what we could.

I know some situations in life are thrown at us without us asking for them, but even in those instances, we can choose peace. We can make the decision before hand that we will not be overwhelmed by stress or anxiety, but be overwhelmed by the peace of God.

“And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
‭‭Philippians‬ ‭4:7‬ ‭NIV‬‬

You can find more inspiration and hopefully a few laughs on my podcast Seeking God, Loving Others.

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Don’t Forget the Main Ingredient

Last night, my husband and I were sitting on the couch, finishing our evening coffee we have every night together when he gets home from work.

It wasn’t a busy day, but the kids and I had run some errands in the afternoon, so I didn’t really make plans for dinner. I figured I’d make tacos because we all love them and they’re fairly easy, but I didn’t have any ground beef.

As I neared the end of my coffee, I told him I didn’t have a plan for dinner so we were going to pick up food. I told him that I was going to make tacos, but didn’t have any meat.

“Isn’t that the main ingredient you need to make tacos!” he laughed, almost spitting out his coffee. WE both laughed and then ordered a pizza.

For the past few weeks, I’ve been preparing a message for my women’s event at church. Today as I gathered what I needed for my message, I sat back to make sure I had everything. Notes, check. Bible, check. Clothes ready, check.

I felt ready to go. Then I remembered I was forgetting the main ingredient. I paused and dropped down to my knees.

“Lord, will you be with me tonight? Will you fill my mouth with your words? Will you meet us as we gather and meet the needs of your women?”

What started as a quick, almost forgotten prayer, turned into hours of prayer and praise and worship. I almost forgot the main ingredient that would ensure that no matter who did or didn’t show up for the service, God would be there.

Have you ever made something and forgot an ingredient or used the wrong ingredient? Missing an ingredient can ruin an entire meal. Leaving out prayer and worship can ruin even weeks worth of preparation and planning.

No amount of preparation or planning can replace the presence of God. Make room for him and invite him into everything you do.

Posted on by jwlozano

Spring Cleaning

I am not a naturally tidy person. My husband and I joke that my tolerance for filth is higher than his. Considering I had a housekeeper at age 21 when we met, I’d say he had plenty of notice!

Most messes don’t bother me much. I have no problem overlooking the pile of dishes in the sink, the multi room fort the kids like to create, or every pillow from the entire house stacked into a mountain. 

But the one mess I cannot tolerate is an unswept floor. There is nothing worse than a wet sock from stepping in spilled water or brushing crushed pretzels off of your bare feet. Ok, maybe childbirth is a little worse. 

If I do no other housekeeping task in a day, I will sweep the floor. I usually use my hard floor vacuum but every so often I’ll use the broom. My kids always ask, “Why are you sweeping the old fashioned way?!” 

It always amazes me the amount of mess I sweep up from just one day. The piles look like something from an episode of Hoarders! But despite how disgusted this makes me feel, it reminds me of how quickly our lives can become cluttered when we aren’t careful to maintain them. And like my floor, clearing the clutter of our lives is an everyday job.

Romans 12:2 tells us to “be transformed by the renewing of your minds” but many people think this is a one time thing. Imagine how much trash I would sweep up if I only swept once a month!

Many believers expect the trash of their lives to be handled with a one hour service on Sunday. We come to church and sing and clap and pray (maybe), then head back into the week and allow the dust of life to gather.

We have to be intentional about daily removing the things that clutter our minds and spirits. Do you have a daily practice of reading the Bible? Do you make time each day to talk to God? Do you feed your spirit with faith-filled words? 

If you aren’t careful to daily sweep out the junk of everyday living, it will begin to pile up and before you know it, what could have been a 5 minute chore could end up taking much longer.

If you haven’t already, make time to spend with God today. Ask him what areas of your life have hidden clutter you may not even see. Ask him to guide you in your day. Welcome him to be a part of it. It’s a practice that seems so small but if it’s skipped, you will notice!

Posted on by jwlozano

Having a Full Tank

When I was younger, my mom would frequently take me and my sister on a casual ride around town. We always looked forward to these rides because it meant we were ordering lunch! I now realize they were just a tool to get us out of the house she’d just cleaned.

We would drive around for what felt like hours, and we’d ask my mom, “Are we lost?”. See, I grew up in the days before GPS. We didn’t have Siri telling us to make a left in half a mile or to continue straight (one of the most pointless directions!). We were on our own! My mom would always tell us, “As long as we have a full tank of gas, we’re never lost!”

As an adult, there have been times when I’ve felt lost. Am I going in the right direction for my children? Am I making progress towards my dreams? How do I balance life, work, and family? It’s during those times, I’m reminded of those long drives with my mom: “As long as I have a full tank of gas, I’m never lost.”

It’s when our tank begins to run low that we begin to feel anxious about the journey. When the bank account balance isn’t enough for an unplanned bill; when we suffer an unexpected loss that depletes our joy; when we can’t seem to rebuild a broken relationship. What do we do?

The same thing we do when our cars run low on gas: refuel. I’m horrible about letting my car get to “E”. The gas light pops on, but instead of filling up at the first warning, I wait until the last possible moment (my gas light goes off again after a few miles, then comes back on to give me one last chance to fill up before I’m stranded!).

Honestly, I have the same bad habit when it comes to life. I go and go and go and despite the warnings, red flags, and sputtering, I wait until the last minute to refuel. I wait until I’m snapping at my kids or I give a snarky response to someone at church.

Jesus tells us in John 3:23 that his words are spirit and they are life. Simply put, they are the fuel we need to continue day after day. I’m reminded of the children of Israel in the desert when God provided manna every morning for them. The Israelites asked, “What is it?” which is what manna means. They weren’t sure what it was but they knew it would sustain them. They knew it would give them strength for the tasks of the day.

I’m not sure why we, as believers, allow ourselves to run down when His word has never been more available to us. Sometimes I feel like this unlimited access to every version of the Bible ever written, hundreds of reading plans to choose from, and thousands upon thousands of sermons online can be overwhelming. Don’t get me wrong: I’m thankful for the accessibility that technology has provided when it comes to studying God’s word. But sometimes I end up spending more time searching for content than just sitting in communion (#thatsaword).

I’m striving to live out the words from the prayer Jesus taught his disciples: “give us today our daily bread”. I need fresh fuel every day. I need direction for what I might encounter in the day that I am in and how to handle it. I don’t want to wait until I’m running on fumes and barely make it to my destination.

I don’t want to look up and see that I’ve been driving in the wrong direction for the last 5 miles. I want to be on the path that God has set out for me and enjoy the ride, knowing, that being full of the Spirit of God, I am never lost.