Rest

Rest

God gives rest to his loved ones.

AS LITTLE FEET pounded up the stairs, I heard my husband gently corral the kids into brushing their teeth and getting ready for bed. Bending down, I picked up the final toy cluttering the living room floor and tossed it into the toy box, stretching backward with a groan. Uffda. I was exhausted. But as I surveyed the crumbs on the dining room floor and sticky globs on the counter, I knew I wouldn’t head upstairs until the kitchen was spotless too.

As a kid, I never realized how much time adults spend cleaning. Though I kept my own room relatively clean and helped with dishes, I rarely thought twice about laundry or floors. And except for mowing the lawn once a week, I never once considered yard maintenance.

Oh, the rude awakening. As an adult, I spend countless hours cleaning. Add in three kids who seem blithely unaware of their trail of toys, and it’s a recipe for constant cleaning. Between that and the mental and emotional real estate being sucked up by our family of five, my exhaustion felt soul deep. I knew I needed rest, but I didn’t know how to achieve it.

Seeking that rest, I bought novels to dive into and bath salts to soak in. I had my own secret stash of dark chocolate and splurged on a new shirt. But everything that the world would categorize as self-care fell flat. Though I had enjoyed those experiences, I still didn’t feel rested. Instead, I felt unsatisfied and a little guilty. I couldn’t understand why what I was doing wasn’t working.

Reading my Bible one morning, I ran across Psalm 127:2 and had a light bulb moment: God gives rest to his loved ones. Rest isn’t a luxury; it’s a gift from God. It’s not something we earn by crossing enough items off our to-do list or clearing enough clutter; it’s a gift we already have access to. Though there’s nothing wrong with bath salts or a chocolate stash, the greatest act of self-care you can give yourself is simply permission to rest. With that in mind, I began to be more purposeful in my rest, finding pockets of time each day where I refused to feel guilty. Instead, I accepted the gift of God’s marvelous rest, and reveled in it.

Lord, thank you for the gift of rest. Help us to give ourselves permission to truly rest. Amen.

-Kristin

One Good Step: Find a time today when you will purposely choose to rest.