Monday, September 19, 2011

A gift that's hard to receive ...

For me, there is one gift that is hard to receive. That is the gift of rest.

Rest.

It is so hard for me to be still, to sit still, to just be and not be moving or doing. One Sunday after recovering from a cold the two days prior - the littles and I stayed home from church. And, I rested.

I read... (look closely and you might catch a little peek of something I've been working on lately! Do you see it?)

I made a yummy and pretty dinner - even fixing dinner felt like worship when my heart was at rest ...


Things like this seemed funny instead of irritating ...

I took time to appreciate beauty ...

And, it set the stage for our celebration of David the next night ...

I was reminded at why God gave us a day of rest. Why He wants us to rest. Why He tells us to rest.

Rest.

Is it easy or hard for you to accept this gift from God?

11 comments:

Bonnie said...

Very very hard. I can't stop thinking of how much farther behind I'm getting by sitting and doing nothing.

I see what you're working on, and I hope we get details! I have one that needs it desperately! (think ugly teals and browns and tans and creams with gigantic pheasants and fruit. Really, what where the late 60's early 70's thinking?)

Mary Ann said...

A slipcover? I love to rest but often feel as though I'm being lazy or neglecting something if I do!

Wendi said...

It is sometimes hard. As I rest I keep thinking of all the things that I could be doing. I am trying harder to take time to rest. So happy to you took the time to rest!

Anonymous said...

uggh! How many times I say to myself that I need to be more like Mary and less like Martha.....it is tough!!

barbara said...

I too have a hard time resting, because I'm thinking of everything I need to do! However, Sunday is a day of rest for us and I do rest on Sunday and I look forward to it!

angie said...

Yes, rest is very hard for me to receive. But I do think that I am more productive after having a time of rest. And sometimes, I think it is a matter of re-framing my to-do list. If it is a task I enjoy, I should do it with leisure and bliss, rather than rushing through to the next task.

Blissful & Domestic said...

I find it also very hard to rest. It seems like there is always something else to do. I had surgery a few weeks ago on my mouth and had to rest the whole weekend and I couldn't talk. Boy was that hard, but definitely was great quite time.

LynnMarie said...

Resting takes time and practice. As you do it more, you will get better and really see the benefit of it.

Anonymous said...

It is very hard to accept rest. I agree with all of you other ladies that there is always something to be doing or thinking about. For me I had to learn to rest and that it didn't mean to sit around and do nothing. You can have incredible rest and rejuvenation from doing things you enjoy or doing things you need to do at a pace that is not rushed.

Amy said...

Oh, hard, there's always so much to do! For the last few years, though, we've kept our Sundays pretty calm, and that has helped a lot. We read or nap on Sunday afternoons and then spend the late afternoons and evenings as a family, playing games or doing crafts or watching movies. So fun - and a nice change of pace from regular life!

Dawn said...

Well, since my 16 year old daughter says to me rather frequently, "Mom, you really need to go sit down for a few minutes"...I think I might have a problem with resting. LOL!