Make Room for Rest

August has arrived. Fall schedules are being built, considered, analyzed and updated. In the midst of your beautiful, busy life, may I urge you to make room for Rest? Don’t be so full of good things that you can’t have moments to enjoy them. There are so many physical, mental, emotional and spiritual benefits to the God-created idea of Rest! Several years ago, I began to study this concept as it applied to my life and why I struggled with it so much. I’m sharing some of my notes here in the hopes that it will help you, too. I particularly treasure the book Rhythms of Rest by Shelly Miller.

There are a progression of choices we make to prioritize what is most important daily. Maybe we prioritize the comfort of our husband and children over our need to Rest in Jesus. We are so good at making lists and checking things off that we forget our relationship with God comes first.

But what about productivity? We must be productive. But can we do it in a way that leads to life? Sometimes we say no to fulfill our biggest yes

We often put a high value on being productive.

3 Lies we believe in the name of being Producers:

I AM WHAT I HAVE,

I AM WHAT I DO,

I AM WHAT OTHERS SAY/THINK ABOUT ME

Dear Friend, being a Producer does NOT get us closer to God.

Pride hinders. Pride is at the root of all those lies we have believed. Our value is not rooted in what we do or don’t do.

Yes, we are our own worse critics. We see all the possibilities of the things we can do, the things we haven’t done, and we can have very high expectations of ourselves. (I’m not saying that isn’t a worthy goal to have high expectations!) BUT…. Unmet expectations lead to disappointments and discouragement.

Once we have confronted these lies in our lives, okay, maybe not just once, it will pop up again and again! How do we move on?

Be realistic. What can you accomplish in a day or a week? Know yourself, your week, your schedule. It’s ok to have expectations of a semi- clean home, clean laundry and food on the table! But leave room for REST.

We can work on habits for ourselves and our children to help us be more productive in a given time. Do you have good habits? Do your kids obey? Do you obey? Has the lord told you to add or delete something from your life or schedule?

Christians aren’t called to sit around and do nothing. We are to be actively engaged in building God’s Kingdom, which means being in relationships and working with others, working through our sin issues and helping others. AND we are commanded to take time away. Isn’t it humorous that the Lord knew we would need that stern telling to do this thing that will be so good for us, but would find excuses to get around it??

PRIORITIZE REST TO BE PRODUCTIVE

Jesus walked and talked and ate and healed and was exhausted. And then he went away to be alone. To be quiet. To listen to His father. He was obedient. He worked. He rested.

Why do moms have this mini martyr complex that our little worlds will fall apart if we aren’t there to control the chaos or to stay one step ahead?

When people would quote that poem about not worrying about the dusty house and dirty dishes, I always groaned internally. I don’t want to live in a dirty house. I don’t want to live in chaos. I have specific goals for my family’s health and wellness, for the use of our resources. That involves work.

So home is also a place where we work together and then we stop so we can rest.

 I am all about freezer meals, gardening, food preservation, livestock raising, cooking meals every day, reading, walking, getting exercise, participating in church, ministering to others, helping a good cause. I believe. And because I believe, I do. I’m faithful to keep my commitments. Even when it hurts.

I have been the queen of productivity at the expense of rest and peace and joy.

Overcommitted me yelling at my kids to get them to hurry, hurry, hurry. A chunk of their lives we were rushing from one thing to another.

Then comes in that martyr complex. Woe is me. I work all the time. No one helps. I don’t have enough help. My life is soooo hard.

“Most of us have believed the fallacy of world advertisers: Achieve, Produce & Earn Success in order to Gain Acceptance, love & ultimate happiness.”

OVERCOMMITMENT DOES NOT LEAD TO PEACE. It is just people pleasing. It’s choosing to do things for the wrong reasons like pride, insecurity, inability to say no.

Peace with God is obedience to God. Obedience is an act of Love. Doing His will leads to joy. My will leads to chaos and misery. Maybe we have left behind what God has told us to do. Maybe we have prioritized our own stuff. Being a Christian is about giving up the right to ourselves. This does not mean giving up REST, which is a command. Sometimes Rest needs to be prioritized and we think that work is number one.

What prevents me from following the will of God? Is it my spouse, children, family, friends, life circumstances? No.

Only my will prevents me. Choice is powerful.