She Rests

My brain is so very thankful today for the message God gave me to share at She Speaks Sunday. It was called "Come to Me" and the main point was that God wants to give us the gift of rest, yet we get so busy that we forget to receive that gift. (Matthew 11:28-29)

Why is my brain happy about that message? Because it's a really tired brain today and it's holding me to the fact that I need to "rest."

Rest does not come naturally for most of us. We were created for it but we forget that we need it. My friend Karen shared the most amazing verse with me about rest on Sunday morning right before I was going to speak. It's from Jeremiah 50:

⁴ "In those days, at that time," declares the LORD, "the people of Israel and the people of Judah together will go in tears to seek the LORD their God.

⁵ They will ask the way to Zion and turn their faces toward it. They will come and bind themselves to the LORD in an everlasting covenant that will not be forgotten.

⁶ "My people have been lost sheep; their shepherds have led them astray and caused them to roam on the mountains. They wandered over mountain and hill and forgot their own resting place.

Have we forgotten our resting place? I believe we have. At least I know I do.

I am definitely not a "resting" kind of girl. In fact, I'm such a doer it's kinda scary. Like the time I was trying to "rest" but felt so restless that I decided to go for a walk. When I got back I realized that in all of my inability to rest, I accidentally took my dogs medicine instead of mine.

So what did "rest" look like for me today? Well after sleeping in, my friend Cris and I drove over to meet Lysa and Holly to go running. Doesn't sound restful does it? But it is for me because my brain has the hardest time resting and running doesn't require me to think. Plus it was a great way to keep myself off the computer where work begins and rest ends.

I also loved easing back into life by spending over an hour with my girlfriends sharing our favorite She Speaks memories and moments. Holly even cooked us all poached eggs after we ran. Afterwards, Cris and I picked up my boys and headed to the P31 office to help unload the She Speaks Uhaul with the other P31 team and kids. Still doesn't sound restful? Call me crazy, but it was. We laughed, we talked and just enjoyed sweating and being together.

The biggest lesson for me has been that resting comes in many different forms. Sometimes rest means I need to sit still and do nothing. But not always. Often rest comes when I stop my mind from being active with plans and deadlines, but making myself be active physically with family and friends. The physical activity distracts me from the restlessness I fall into in my thoughts.

So, how do we know what rest looks like each day? It really all depends. I've got to ask the One who calls Himself my "resting place." I have to start my day sitting in His presence and listening to His lead. Sometimes it looks really spiritual with me sitting in a chair reading my Bible and journaling. Other days it looks more like me laying in my bed asking Him to be my first thought, my first breath, my first desire.

Sometimes it's just me giving Him my plans and being willing to not make any of my own - on days when I have optional white space. On days like today, He nudges my heart to go with the flow and follow where He leads me - to a place of rest. A place of rest that may not even look restful to others but for my heart it just the "resting place" this non-stop thinking girl needs to be.

So what does rest look like for you?

If you were at She Speaks, I'd love to hear what rest is going to look like for you this week as you return from the conference and begin to process all that God wants to give you. Share with me in the comments and I'll be praying for you.