It’s been one of those weeks.
- My son nearly dumped our entire table at Chick-fil-A yesterday. Instead “only” 2 full drinks were knocked over. Followed by chicken nuggets.
- The dog keeps finding junk left by the previous owner of our house hidden behind and under the shed. (Three bags of left over carpet. Three. Dragged all over the yard.)
- My little one seems to need naps again and has been hangry all week because he also refused to eat.
- I have this terrible stomach ache that won’t go away leading me to conclude that I need to give up coffee completely. <sob>
All around me it feels like my house needs more attention, my kiddos need more direction, the dog needs more exercise, and the best I can do is to get everyone out the door in the morning before I collapse in fatigue in my chair…
And the words won’t come.
Writing is a drag.
These days happen. These weeks happen. When they happen I know I need one thing and it is the one thing I struggle to permit myself to do day in and day out: Rest.
I long to rest. I need to rest.
To rest feels selfish. To rest feels unproductive. To rest feels like entirely the wrong thing to do.
But rest is a need God longs to meet.
After God created the heavens and the earth and everything in it, He rested from His labor. Then He made the 7th day of the week holy, because on it He rested. God commands us to rest, because rest is holy. (Gen 2:2; Ex 20:8-11)
When the Israelites entered the Promised Land with Joshua, God promised them:
The prophets proclaimed a time when rest would rule the land. There would be no more war. No more toil. No more pain. (Isaiah 11)
Jesus calls us to rest in Him. (Matthew 11:28)
We do not have a God who is a slave driver, forcing us to toil away when we are unable to go on. That is an outside force that speaks shame and defeat into our lives.
No, the LORD sees that we cannot do it all. We should not do it all. Instead, we can acknowledge our need, put down our work, and rest in the knowledge that we are worthy of the gift.
I hope in the festivities of the weekend your heart, mind, body, soul, strength all find the rest we so desperately, absolutely need.
What stops you from resting? What lies get in the way of you meeting your need?
I needed to let myself take a break this week from Discovering God in the Old Testament. But I will fulfill this series. And after that, there will be a new series to help mamas connect with God. Coming soon!
Yep. What keeps me from resting? Sometimes just forgetting that I need it until it’s too late. Or my days get too full, even with good things, and then the good things aren’t good anymore because I need a break! But most of all, I don’t schedule and prioritize rest… though I am currently learning how much I need to take time for myself. And if I don’t take care of myself (aka give myself permission to rest, do something for me, pamper, etc.) then my tank is empty to do what God has called me to do! So I better take time to rest, or else I am not being obedient to my God, who bestows upon me favor and worth BECAUSE I AM HIS DAUGHTER, not because I got stuff done. Phew.
Yes, “the good things are not good anymore.” That is a statement to pause over.
This comment is so full of thoughts. I can feel your mind move from one to another. Thanks for your words. I struggle with pampering myself. Right now my nails are chipped and I really want to brush them up, but when?! Do I dare take the time? Maybe yes, yes I do. Love to you!
Just let the boys play iPad while Linnea and I napped. Hasn’t done it in weeks despite still waking 2-3 times every night and waking at 5:20 every day to pump, shower, dress, and ready my family. The thing that stops me from resting is that I say YES to friends, YES to family, and YES to work…. And then each day is completely gone. 5:20 suddenly turns into 11:00 pm and I’m rushing into bed to try to get a few solid hours sleeping before the baby wakes up. Even my rest becomes stressful because I’m rushIng into it and worrying about how soon it will end. ☹ not my most uplifting comment–just where I’m at!
Thank you for sharing, Kelsey. You are in one of the most difficult, tiring seasons of motherhood. I hope you can get some more restful sleep soon. Even without a newborn I at times feel like I will never sleep through the night again. It’s HARD. Bless you! (And please say no to me anytime. I get it. 😉 )
Leah, I think moms in particular often need a reminder to rest. I had to sleep in, compromising today’s work hours because my normally sound sleeper both kept waking and climbing in bed with me. Reading this was comforting and reassuring:) I’m looking forward to all of your beautiful insightful words to come!
Thank you for confirming what I was thinking. We need to be told to rest. I haven’t been able to let go of the importance of rest for moms in my mind for awhile now. I need to get it all out on paper! Thanks for reading and sharing! I hope you feel better after sleeping in, but I know how hard it is to catch up when there have been long periods without enough sleep.