Tag: rest

It’s okay to take a nap!

Every one of us needs a moment to refresh our soul. I’m thankful God showed me one more scripture that reminds me it is okay to rest.

Some days I just want the world to stop so I can catch my breath. Some days I just feel tired and want a moment of peace. I know God wants me to rest and take care of myself, but it also seems there is so much to do.

The story of Mary and Martha has been used often to remind us all of the importance of not allowing chores to distract us from an opportunity to sit at Jesus’ feet. Countless times, I have read the verse in Matthew 11:28 that says, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest (NLT).” There are numerous books out there about how to embrace the concept of the Sabbath and God’s plan for finding true rest in our lives. All of these are wonderful reminders to me.

However, I think God must have realized his message was not getting through to my stubborn head, and I needed one more example to cling to.

In today’s sermon, we looked at the scripture in Mark 4: 35-41 where Jesus calms the storm. I have read this story so many times in my life, but today one verse stood out boldly to me. Verse 38 says, “Jesus was sleeping at the back of the boat with his head on a cushion (NLT).”

Jesus took a nap in the middle of a huge storm!

I needed to hear that today. It seems the storms of life are often swirling around me, and it feels as if that must demand my constant attention. But it doesn’t. Even when we are in the midst of chaos and have a long list of “urgent” things to do, sometimes it is okay to take a break from it.

So today I took a nap. Yes, I had many things I should have or could have done. But I put them aside and rested, and later during the day I was able to more easily (and happily) conquer those tasks on my list.

I pray you, too, occasionally take a moment to take a nap and allow Jesus that sweet moment to refresh your soul!

Unburdened and Unstressed

It has been one month since I wrote my last post. Life has just been busy, nothing tragic, no huge life changes…simply a variety of unexpected events that have managed to turn my world topsy turvy for the last few weeks. Each week, as I looked at my To-Do list, I stared at the item that said, “write a blog post,” and my heart started beating fast. I was filled with guilt because I was not meeting an expectation I had created. I was overcome with anxiety because I didn’t know what to write. I was overwhelmed because I had no idea when or how I was going to get it done. There was simply too much to do and not enough time to do it. Here I was looking at what I considered a God-inspired mission, and I was feeling stressed about it.

Have you ever experienced a time like this, when you were burdened and anxious regarding something you knew should be quite the opposite?

Then I stopped! This is NOT what God has in mind for me (and it’s not what God has in mind for you either)! Our Lord is not a strict taskmaster. He does not desire for us to be anxious, overwhelmed, worried, or filled with shame. His yoke is easy, and His burden is light. So one of two things is likely true in my situation if I feel those negative emotions–either what I am doing is NOT God’s will or how I am doing it isn’t.

I had to make myself pause in reflection and prayer and seek God’s direction…and I had to keep doing this multiple times throughout this month. What He kept whispering to me was, “Jennifer, give yourself a break.” For me, I believe it was the how that was the problem. I still felt God wanted me to continue doing this blog, but He kept reminding me that it is okay to take a break from it. It is okay to focus on other things at times. God wanted me to relax and enjoy and write when I was able. Over the last month, often after spending time with God, I would feel much better. I would lay this burden down at His feet and generally conclude that it was okay to postpone writing a post. In fact, He kept putting it on my heart that what He really wanted me to write about was just this–that we ALL need to give ourselves a break. Unfortunately, sometimes only days later, I would pick that burden right back up and start stressing again. 

Years ago, in the book Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World, I read an illustration that compared this to putting rocks in our wagon. [Please forgive me if I am not exact here. I don’t have the book to quote or reread, so I am going by memory.] Often we put rocks in our wagon that God has never asked us to carry. We weigh ourselves down in ways He never intended.

It is so much easier to see this when I am looking at someone else’s life. I am much better at helping others take the figurative “rocks” out of their wagons than I am at discarding the unnecessary ones out of my own wagon. Here’s an example from this last month…

A friend (and a fellow unit leader with me in American Heritage Girls) texted and said that she might not be able to make it to our next meeting. She was not feeling well yet was worried that she would be leaving me in a bind if she was not there. Here is the exact text I sent her on February 28:

“So sorry to hear you’re not feeling well. No stressing about any of the AHG stuff. God has been really speaking to me, reminding me that He doesn’t want us overwhelmed or anxious in our service. Yes, He wants us to work and serve. But He also wants us to rest. So I’m making sure I am not letting Satan steal the joy of my service by making me stressed about it. So you just focus on feeling better!”

Friends, how is it that it was so easy to write that text to her, and yet I still struggled to apply it to my situation with writing this blog post? I WAS letting Satan steal my joy in doing this blog. I was turning something God meant for good into an undesirable chore.

I am certain you have similar things in your own life. We all have service, missions, and callings that occasionally become just glaring items on a To-Do list. We all sometimes become burdened by things that God only intended to bless us. We all, at some point, lose focus and allow ourselves to stress or worry over something that isn’t worth it.

Here is the main message that God has been giving me, and I want to pass it on to you…

God wants you rested, joyful, unburdened, and worry-free. (Maybe that won’t be true in every moment of life, but it should be true in general.) His desires and plans for you are good and pleasing. So if you find yourself feeling anything else, take a moment to seek Him. Ask Him to show you a better way. Don’t be too hard on yourself. Give yourself a break. And definitely look in your wagon and throw out some “rocks” that are weighing you down that you know God didn’t plan for you to carry.

Jesus said, “Come to me all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.” (Matthew 11:28-30 NLT)

My prayer for you today is that you experience the unburdened joy that comes when you truly rest in Jesus!

Adults Need Rewards Too!

How do you keep yourself motivated when you don’t see any progress and feel overwhelmed?

Do you ever have days when you want to throw up your hands and quit homeschooling? Some days are like that for me. I get overwhelmed or feel like we are making no progress at all, and it all seems so fruitless. Sometimes I might work so hard planning a particular activity, and then my kids will stare at me like I’m crazy. I’ll wonder why I even bothered trying. Fortunately, there are other days when everything goes smoothly, and it feels like the moment is exactly what homeschooling should always be like. Those days are such blessings from God. But what do you do on the days where things are not going right? How do you persevere? How do you keep yourself motivated?

I would be foolish to skip over the most obvious answer–abide in Christ. Absolutely, there is no way to do this job without embracing the Lord’s power, wisdom, and guidance in this endeavor. There have been so many times I have cried out to Him in desperation, asking for Him to show me if this is still His desire for me, and so far, He has always answered me in such sweet, personal ways.

About a year ago, I honestly thought I had come to the end of my abilities in teaching my special needs kids at home. I had no idea how to progress or even if homeschooling was in their best interest. That week at our co-op meeting, I suddenly felt the urge to go outside and check on my kids during their PE time. What I saw ministered to my heart and confirmed my choice. All the kids in their class were taking turns helping my kids, encouraging them, and guiding them through an obstacle course. They held their hands, cheered for them, taught them, and sometimes did the activity with them just to keep them going. At that moment, it was as if God was saying, “Jennifer, you are not alone. I have put other people in your kids’ lives to help them. Look around. I am providing for you. You can do this because I am doing it with you.”

When we ask, God will show us each step of our path and whisper words of encouragement to us. But that is not all there is. He has also given us other tools to help us on this journey. We can reach out to others for support and wisdom. Sometimes just hearing another person share her story and how she is handling a certain difficulty can make my own problem not seem so unmanageable. Also, we can take a break. It’s okay to take a day off or even a few weeks off to regain perspective, revamp your plan, or refresh your spirit.

My personal favorite way to keep myself motivated is to reward myself. Homeschooling can often be a thankless job. Maybe your kiddos tell you how much they love your teaching and how much they appreciate all your hard work, but mine do not. My job is just an expected part of our family life, not necessarily anything that gets praised much. If my children are being successful, it is easy to gain satisfaction from seeing their progress. Whether anybody says a word to me, I can feel motivated to keep working just because I see the fruit of my labor. But what about when there just doesn’t seem to be any fruit hanging around? What if all your efforts seem to be ill-received or ineffective? What do you do then?

I have learned to reward myself for my own effort, not my specific success. Some days it is a day off. Sometimes it is a special treat at the end of the day. Other times it is buying something that will make my life easier, like a new planner or even more expensive but more teacher-friendly curriculum. Or maybe I just have dinner delivered instead of cooking that night!

Friends, God is not a hard task-master, demanding you work yourself into exhaustion and produce fantastic results. He doesn’t expect perfection; he just wants your faithfulness. His only expectation is for you to trust His plan, remain in Him, and follow His lead. Don’t be discouraged if you do not see results. Don’t feel disappointed in yourself if you need a break or some extra motivation. God is delighted in you!

May the Lord give you a renewed enthusiasm, an encouraged spirit, and an extra measure of perseverance today as you continue on your journey!