Let Yourself Rest

What I adore most about God is His faithfulness. At all times. In all things. If you've been reading this blog, then you know I can't write a single post without telling you how wonderful my God is to me. Regardless of what I'm going through, I can always rely on God to teach me a beautiful lesson or truth that brings tears to my eyes. I love when He convicts my heart. I love when I find myself on my knees in prayer, thanking God for His endless mercy.

I'm just going to be completely transparent with you: I'm too busy. I'm just too busy.

My days are spent in constant motion. Phone calls, emails, lesson plans, errands, traveling to teach, teaching a class, forgetting to eat lunch, listening to voicemails, cleaning, laundry, yard work, making more phone calls, writing text, helping my husband code websites, walking the dogs, making sure everyone who sets foot in my home is well fed, caring for the poor, the needy, the widows, the fatherless, my church people, my community.

My life is very full. And don't mistake my transparency as complaining. I am so grateful for the full life that God has blessed me with. But as full as my life is, I oftentimes find myself running on empty. And when I'm running on empty, I don't like who I become. I don't like the feeling I get when I have nothing left to offer my people.

A couple of days ago, after a three-hour long meeting I was almost late for due to my other responsibilities and forgetting to eat breakfast, I texted my husband and said, "I can't do this anymore." He asked me what I could no longer do. And I simply replied, "Life."

I was worn out. Worn out beyond anything I've ever felt before.

For the past week, I had housed five children, took on a new teaching position, tried my hand at website sales, coded a Contact page without any help from my husband (praise God for this miracle!), wrote 10+ pages of website text, befriended a widow and spent countless hours writing a non-disclosure agreement. This on top of all my normal responsibilities. And I know that you have found yourself at this place a time or two before. It's in these moments that the ugliest parts of who we are emerge.

A sure sign that I have pushed myself past my limit is when I begin to view the people God sends across my path as inconveniences. In keeping with my theme of transparency: anytime my phone made a noise, I would cringe and groan. But here's the thing: I had been praying for several weeks that God send a widow across my path to help. I was very specific. And when she crossed my path, I was not in a position to love her the way I had prayed about. The way I had hoped I'd be able to.

The problem was not God's timing; the problem was that I hadn't let myself rest.

We all go through busy seasons of life. The longer I live, the busier I become. But God commands us to rest. And when I was sitting in the dark by myself, tears streaming down my face, I simply told God I didn't have time to rest. He, who is so kind and gentle with me, reminded me of this passage:

"Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns. For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy." - Exodus 20:8-11

 God created us. He knows us so well. He knows that if we aren't careful, we will push ourselves to the point where we can't do His work because we don't rest when He tells us to. The Bible clearly states that we are to rest on the Sabbath day.

Dear friends, are you resting? Are you taking time to let God refill your empty tank? I sure wasn't. I was running on empty and out of love and compassion for the people around me. You have a full plate just like I do. You have limited time in each day. But it's commanded in the Bible to rest. So, when you feel overwhelmed and empty, do as God commanded. Whatever responsibilities await you, they'll still be there tomorrow. For the night, take a rest. His mercies are new each morning.

"Because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness." - Lamentations 3:22-23

--Jessica