"For if we do not make the time to inhale we will not have anything to exhale." - Andrea StunzI have to admit, one of my biggest challenges in my life is finding time to rest. Does anyone else find this simple act so difficult to integrate into your life?
Most days I run on determination and sheer will, all day. My life, the structure of my day, drastically changed when the clouds parted for me and gave me the chance to change career paths. And in a good way. I love all the things I get to work on every day. Writing lights my soul on fire. And I seriously have my foot in a million fires. And I love it. Every little bit of it. But it doesn't mean it can't be exhausting.
And then, of course, there's the housework, the grocery shopping, the laundry, kids' homework, (fortunately Tim does the cooking), the bills, church, and the random things like doctor appointments and dentist visits, oil changes, and if you're me... frequent tire replacements because I seem to drive over every nail or bolt in the city. And then there are my own medical issues, which require monthly, and weekly, and sometimes daily support. And somewhere in there I also find time to volunteer. I don't share with you the never-ending list of my life's to-dos to put myself on some pedestal. The daily grind... the daily hustle and chaos... that's the life of everyone. It looks a little different for each of us... but all of us are on the go in one way or another. And I applaud each and every one of you that get up each day and just get it done!
So when, I ask myself, do I ever REST? Late at night, when I'm typing away and working on my manuscript... is that really time I'm taking for myself? I love doing it, but my mind if full, teeming with stories that are dying to come out. It's not really resting. It's still letting my mind race at 100 mph. It completely cuts into my sleeping routine. My challenge, my true and ultimate challenge, is to just rest. To let my mind go blank. To let my heart calm and let peace wash over my soul. It's time when, for even a few brief moments, I don't let the endless to-do list in my life weigh in my mind. It's time when I take pause, when I reflect, when I breathe.
"Rest time is not waste time. It is economy to gather fresh strength. It is wisdom to take an occasional furlough. In the long run, we shall do more by sometimes doing less." - Charles Spurgeon
Rest often seems indulgent. Or so I thought. But I have witnessed first hand the far-reaching effects of my life and life around me when I do not take needed time for myself. Recently, after leaving my previous job, I took a week off. I didn't let my mind wander to anything work related. And I quickly saw the benefits from allowing myself to do so. I had energy, real energy, in the mornings. I wasn't anxious. I smiled more. When my kids came home from school I was excited to hear about their day and cuddle and play with them. I curled up next to Tim on the couch in the evenings and allowed myself the luxury of feeling calm and safe and loved. I never realized that I rarely even took the time to let myself feel loved. And in that week everything changed for me. For the first time, in a very long time, I recognized my need, both physical and mental, for true rest. And allowing myself to do this has given me the ability to actually do more instead of letting myself be buried by the hustle. I feel more in control and happier in my daily activities. Feeling happier fills the other corners of my life- my work, my friendships, motherhood, and my marriage. This happiness fills me up and sustains me. It allows me to have a clear vision for myself and what I want, and it lights my path for that journey. And all because I rested.Rest is not a luxury, it's essential to life.
Life will not pass us by in those moments we take for ourselves. Rather, those moments will sustain us for the greater things in our lives.
Hang onto this truth: resting is not quitting. It's replenishing.
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