My resolution was to sit down and relax for at least 10 minutes each night. So far I'm making time to relax a little bit every day.
Guess what? I'm rather enjoying it. It isn't nearly as frustrating as I thought it was going to be. Unexpected benefit? I'm sleeping BETTER! Yep. That's right! By giving myself ten minutes of "wind down" time before bed is causing me to rest better. I'm not going to sleep with my head full of to-do lists, emails and up-to-the-minute news. Ahhh. It's rather refreshing.
Okay, Okay. I know some of you are saying, "Wow! This chic is B-O-N-K-E-R-S!" But I'm a do-it girl. Come on, admit it. Maybe you are too? Just a little bit?
Well, even if you're not a do-it girl who is always on the go-go-go I know that finding time to rest each day can be beneficial. If you are a girl on the go and you feel like you can't spare ten minutes of down time...I encourage you to give it a try. Try it for seven days. See how you feel at the end of the week and then make an educated decision based on your own experience. Maybe you need more than ten minutes. Maybe you need fifteen. Maybe you need thirty minutes each day?
Why am I so intent on the concept of resting? Mark 6:31 "Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, "Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest."
The disciples were busy serving people all day long. Even to the point where they "did not even have time to eat." Man! Have I been there before! Have you been there? Have you been so busy that you've forgotten to eat, or use the restroom, or sit down for just a moment? At the end of the day, all you can do is collapse into bed - unfortunately once you're day has been that hectic, sleep doesn't always lead to rest.
"There were so many people coming and going." Yeah, I admit it. That's a pretty good description of my life right now. So many people coming and going. Our life is hectic. But it's far less hectic that most.
I work part time outside the home. My daughter runs Cross Country three nights a week with meets on the weekend. My son is in karate. My husband plays on a golf league. We have household chores and church mid-week and on the weekend. We have homework and housework and a whole list of to-dos that never seem to get done. Sometimes I meet myself coming and going, but can't remember which it is I'm doing. Coming? or Going? Wait. Let me think...
So I'm understanding why Jesus called his disciples away for a time to rest. That is why I chose rest for my resolution this week. I am tired of being a stressed-out, drug-out, grumpy mom and wife who isn't breeding joy in her home!
This world is busy place. There are stress-inducers everywhere we look. I want my home to be a place of quiet and rest for my family. I want home to be a "haven." I want my kids and my husband to know that this is a safe place for them. That no matter what this world throws at them this place is where they can go to find rest and solitude and respite.
I must admit though, making my house into a haven of rest can cause me to want to get up and go go go again. I have to make sure that I am refreshing myself, and my spirit, before I can pour back into my family. If I am empty, then I have nothing left to give. If I am not refreshed and rested, then I'm not creating rest in my home.
So I encourage you: Give yourself permission to rest. You're not failing to get things done! You're accomplishing another goal entirely!
"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." Matthew 11:28
Until next time we live and rest...
Only By His Grace,
Billie
What is your favorite way to rest or relax?
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