Skip to main content

Be Still and...REST!!!

I struggle with being still. Unless I am laying out by a swimming pool soaking up some rays, I feel this inner angst if I am just sitting. Even when I go to bed at night, my mind races for about an hour thinking of all of the things that I could be or should be doing. After all, there is ALWAYS something to be done with 2 kids between laundry, bottles to feed, playtime, and household chores. On top of that, I love being connected with friends, so all of my free time is spent either running(errands or for exercise) or with my girlfriends. I just CAN NOT take time to rest, because everything WOULD NOT get done.

This weekend, our pastor talked about the importance of rest, REAL rest, and I must admit that I felt VERY convicted. I realized that in the midst of my busyness and hurried life, I am missing out on a fundamental principle God wants for my life. If I am constantly on the go, even if it is doing things for Him, I am not allowing time to HEAR FROM HIM!! But maybe, just maybe, deep down I know that if I slowed down long enough to hear from God, He may invade areas of my life that I am just not comfortable with. He might ask me to do something that I am just not sure I can do. The desire of my heart is to be in the absolute center of His will for my life, so it's time for me to take some time, take some Sabbath rest and focus on my Savior.

So, today we canceled our playgroup, and my goal has been to rest. And yet, here I sit with my internal struggle again. Both of the kids are down for a nap, and I see the piles of laundry waiting to be folded and put away. There are phone calls I "need" to be making. My mind is literally racing with things that I should be doing. But, I hear that still small voice telling me to be still...and REST!!

What are your thoughts? I know I am not the only mom who struggles with this. Oh, be sure to check out Toby's message at www.crosstimberschurch.org and look for the Plan B message series.

Comments

Andi Hawkins said…
Ouch... the conviction. I have struggled with being still for a long time. I think its just like you said, a litte fear of where my own thoughts might go. I really needed this reminder today.

Jamie, I also wanted to tell you that I think you are one of the sweetest people I know. I am sitting here typing on your computer and feeling very loved. Thanks for your giving, selfless heart. It speaks to me without words.
May 20, 2008 at 8:31 PM
Andrea said…
rest. unfortunately, when we have days to "rest" more often than not they get filled up with "stuff." even if it's fun stuff, i never stop to breathe.

sometimes i forget that life isn't going to hand me a week of unoccupied time ... if only.
May 21, 2008 at 7:16 AM
Sallie said…
I have the same stuggle. I know I need it, but I also tend to ignore that. A real eye opener was watching Oprah the other day and they had these ladies "let themselves go" after they had children. It was so crazy because these women looked 10 years older. I felt the same way the other day when a friend said. Oh look at you, you look so yound there. I laughed outside and cringed insided. The picture was only 2 years old. So, I need to foucs on me too. REST. We should
May 21, 2008 at 1:02 PM
Joy said…
Wow. Jamie thank you so much for your words of encourgment on a day much needed. You are such an amazing person with such a beautiful spirit about you. Your words today sit deep with me due to the how can I due this today Lord feeling...
To be still, I need that so bad right now but feeling like I have 100 things to do and surely the Lord understands right..LOL.
Thank you sweet friend for your words and love.
Joy
May 22, 2008 at 6:31 AM
Jessica Rolf said…
does reading blogs count as rest?!

as i stare at the laundry that is literally taking over the sofa i am thinking of "rest" as an excuse to leave it there but i think sometimes rest can just be for our souls too. just a peace and total dependance on God for all that he has planned...perhaps while i fold laundry!

jamie, i love your heart and your words. you encourage me greatly!
May 22, 2008 at 11:58 AM
Amelia said…
Remember when Toby said that God rested on the 7th day, probably not because He needed to, but to TEACH us to rest and of its importance. How Toby compared it to us, as mothers or fathers, lying beside our children to help them rest....that was such an eye-opener for me. So, yes that message was a blessing, giving us permission...no, ordering us to rest...thank you!! :)
May 29, 2008 at 6:19 AM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Hello My Name is Jamie- Part 5

Sorry for the long delay in this last post…life has been FULL! I want to wrap up this series on my 12 Steps journey by sharing the blessings that have come as a result of surrendering my life and will to my Redeemer(I am skipping ahead to the end). JOY…real joy! I have always been known to my friends and family as a happy person, but my happiness was contingent upon the circumstances of my life. As long as life fit into my little box of perfection and people treated me like I “needed” them to treat me, my joy remained intact. I now know that my joy comes from the Lord. My happiness is no longer tied to people who are going to disappoint me (surprise, they’re human too) or to all of the “stuff” that will happen in life. My joy is my salvation, in the One who paid my ransom! Peace. I can’t help but think of the old song we used to sing at church camp, “I’ve got peace like a river in my soul.”! Those words have REAL meaning for me now. Think about a river. Its path is tumultuou...
8 comments
Read more

Hello My Name is Jamie- Part 4

The day that I made the decision to sit down and begin my moral inventory, will forever be etched into my heart. It was a cold and dreary winter day, much like the state of my spirit. In all honesty, I was DREADING the task at hand. Who in their right mind would want to make an account of every painful memory from the past as well as every sin committed against others?!?! As I sat down at a Starbucks with my favorite flavored coffee beverage in hand, I began praying Psalm 129:23, “Examine me, O God, and know my mind; test me, and discover…if there is any evil in me and guide me in the everlasting way.” I knew that there was pain from my childhood buried so deep that only He would have the power to bring to the surfaces. For so long, I had masked and/or stuffed the wounds in my life, rather than allowing Him to heal them. Within minutes of my prayer, the memories came pouring down like the rain I could hear outside. Just a little side-note, if you ever decide to take a painful j...
9 comments
Read more

Hello my Name is Jamie- Part 2

I hesitantly signed up to attend a 12 Step Recovery Study with a group of women I had never met. Unfortunately, I had pre-judged Celebrate Recovery and the type of people who attended it. I assumed(never a good thing to do) that I was above the issues that required “recovery”. God used the first night with my step-sisters as the first chain in the link of breaking down my pride. I sat in a room of women who were able to verbalize all of things that I was feeling but didn’t know how to express. The Lord had lead me to a group of amazing, strong women who knew exactly where I was at, and loved me just the same. I wept in my car as I drove away from our first meeting because I knew without a shadow of a doubt that I had FINALLY found the place that would strip me of my character defects and draw me closer to the Lord. Until this point, I had lived my life in a cycle of insanity. Insanity has been defined as “doing the same thing over and over again, expecting a different result ea...
4 comments
Read more