Rest, Rest, Rest

Rest is a concept I dramatically fail at. If I don’t have something for every second of the day, I do not know what to do with myself. The idea of an entire day of nothing makes me want to break out in hives (I know, I know, some of you are rolling your eyes). It is a cute idea, until about 2pm and then I am searching for literally anything to do ( & that’s when you will find me wandering about the mall). 

Last week- I didn’t post anything. I have a strict policy on myself & this blog. The past few weeks, as weird as it sounds, I’ve known which blog I felt like the Lord wanted me to post. Last week, nothing was coming to mind. & if nothing sticks out- I take it as a sign from the Lord that some words are wrong, or something just isn’t ready yet. ( I literally pray before I post blogs that the Lord will crash the website if it isn’t his will that people read it- I know, dramatic of me). 

Last week- was a doozy. Through a series of many events I was coming into the Holiday weekend running on fumes. Thankfully, my mom and I went on a trip to Charleston. 

Our first day, we sat on the beach in the morning. I could have sat right there staring at the ocean ALL.DAY.LONG. I don’t know what it is about the beach, but it rejuvenates me better than any person or spa ever could. I realized, sitting there, watching the tide & reading my book. 

I just needed a second. 

Circa 3 years ago, I could get frazzled so quickly. Honestly, I didn’t know how to handle what felt like constant demands from everyone around me. But I also had no idea how to slow down and just take a second. I can’t pin point exactly when or what changed, but gradually, I’ve caught on to when I am about the crack. I frequently describe it as a teter-totter emotion. I  typically just stay in 1 spot on the teter-totter, but I can feel when the weight on the other end starts swinging me up and down too fast & I am about to crack- hints the frazzle attack. 

This is vulnerable of me, because honestly  I want to look like I can carry the weight of the world, never need a break, and be “full send” all day, everyday. But it is something that needs to be said. I think there are more people than we know in the world who also hope to go 90 miles an hour all day, everyday, and never take a second to rest. I’m here to tell you, we are called to rest. 

I intentionally skip over the part in the bible that tells us that the Lord wants us to rest. 

In Genesis 2:2, “And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done.” 

I’m not sure where in our culture this got lost in translation, but if God did it, by golly we need to be doing it too. It’s okay to just need a day/afternoon/hour. I was hit with a brick in Annie F. Downs podcast with Andrew Ripp (IF you haven’t listened go now!) when Andrew says, “Why do we think we can accomplish more in 7 days then God could in 6?” 

Woah. I’ll say it. We are little weakling humans, we NEED rest. & I’m not talking about just sleeping at night. Rest looks different for everyone. I’ll give you a visual of my rest, but be sure to figure out what it looks like for you. Although sitting on the beach, is like a boost of an espresso shot in terms of rest, it’s not the most practical. 

Practical rest for me is slow mornings, where I can drink my cup coffee, sitting on the couch, waking up with the world without rushing. (throw in a quiet time and we are really starting off on the right foot.) I could list a few other things, but I don’t want to accidentally fill in what rest is for you. You’ll know the feeling. I believe in you. So, in the next 7 days, rest. Not for all 7. Maybe you can only squeeze in 30 minutes. But do it. If you need inspo, I’m currently making a list in my head. I’d be happy to share :) 

xoxo