Psalm 62:1
Truly my soul finds rest in God; my salvation comes from him.
As I don't work outside the home, I usually take Fridays in stride. No big deal. Just another day in a long string of days and weeks and months.
Not so this past Friday. It is very different, indeed. Still battling the after effects of being so ill, I manage to babysit my granddaughter, Virginia Rose, all afternoon. We have fun in spite of my coughing spells and continual need to drink my hot tea soothingly flavored with lemon and honey. I am so glad to see 4:30 roll around so I can pack Virginia into the car and go pick up her mother, Sarah, from work.
I know Virginia is due for a nap when we head out, but there's nothing to be done for it. I hope she'll simply doze off in her car seat as she has so many times before. That hope is squelched by the time we exit the neighborhood.
Virginia begins to whimper like a wounded puppy. She keeps this up for a bit, getting louder and louder by the moment. I try to comfort her. Humor her. She'll have none of it! Now, she's wracked it up to full throttle, crying at the top of her lungs.
All. The. Way. To. The. Mall.
When we arrive, there is no sign of Sarah, and Virginia's meltdown continues unabated. My nerves are so shot by this point, I'm practically in tears myself. I so want to do something to make Virginia calm down, to stop crying her little eyes out, but everything I try falls on deaf ears. The tirade continues!
Sarah calls me to explain why she's late. Her boss is on a conference call and she is the only other employee in the store. She has to work the floor.
Great! Just, great! Virginia's wails rise and fall like waves on the shore. Passing shoppers stare in our direction too often for my comfort. They must think I'm the most cruel and heartless Gammie on the planet!
Just when I think I can't tolerate another moment, Virginia motions wildly to me to hand her the sippy cup full of milk. It's right there in her cup holder! Why doesn't she get it herself? But, of course, I quickly place it in her hands. The second she puts the cup to her lips, I can tell that the storm has passed. Her breathing calms. Her face, red and blotchy from her crying fit, relaxes.
She drinks. She rests.
I heave a deep sigh, and offer God a prayer of thanksgiving. Sarah is not yet here, my body feels like it's had intimate contact with a Mack truck, and all I can think about is rest. Real rest. The one in which God promises to be.
Then and there, just like all those folks who work all week long, I feel the crushing weight of Friday. It's at that moment I know how I must spend my free Saturday. Resting. Doing as little as possible. Camping out in fresh jammies to remind me not to exert, to stress, or to strain.
To let both body and soul be renewed and restored. Knowing God's salvation, His healing, is right there if I pause long enough, sincerely enough, to feel Him working in and through me.
Saturday will be a good day . . .
~
Have you ever experienced a time when you knew you had to put on the brakes and take a respite from your busy schedule?
Prayer: We pray, Father, that when we face times of weariness and frustration, that we turn to You to give us peace and rest. Thank You for loving us so much and for healing our infirmities in Your time. Let us remember that Your grace is always sufficient in all things. Amen.
Have you ever experienced a time when you knew you had to put on the brakes and take a respite from your busy schedule? Only daily - once we realize that His schedule is the one that we need to heed, what we fight is the temptation to keep trying to do it our way more than anything else.
ReplyDeleteMay you get the rest you need - may we *all* get the rest we need - and continue to try to work out our salvation on His schedule. :)
Thanks, Martha!
Thanks so much for coming by, Rick, and for your insightful comment! Yes! May we all get that rest in Him which we so need and let Him work His purposes in His time.
DeleteBlessings to you!
What an insightful post, Martha. Rest is so important but so hard to come by in today's world.
ReplyDeleteDuring the time when I was researching and writing my master's thesis I had times that my body decided for me it was time to put on the brakes and rest. :)
Although, I didn't really apply it at the time, I learned how vital it is to have a day of rest each week.
Love and blessings,
Kim
Thanks so much for visiting, Kim!
DeleteYes, rest can be difficult to come by in this crazy world, but we deceive ourselves if we think we don't need it. If I've learned anything from this recent illness, it's how important true rest can be for our healing, both spiritually and physically.
Love and blessings!
I think sometimes people assume that if you stay home all the time you don't ever need rest because you are obviously resting all the time if your are not working. Nothing could be further from the truth!! I understand exactly what you mean. I usually keep pushing until I keep nodding off and practically braining myself into the computer screen. Then I give up and go lay down. Sometimes there are just not enough hours in the day, and when you are sick it makes it ten times worse! Hope you get to feeling better too. I am quickly catching what my son is down sick with and it is draining me too. ♥
ReplyDeleteOh, Kathy, so sorry to hear you are getting sick! There is some downright nasty stuff going around, but I pray it won't take hold of you for long.
DeleteYes, even when we don't work outside the home, we can push, push, push on other activities until we fry ourselves. Not good! As I told Kim above, if I've learned anything from my recent illness, it is the importance of rest.
Love and blessings and get to feeling better!
Get well soon Martha - looks like this has been a prolonged sickness. Sending you positive thoughts and prayers. I'm all with you on the importance of rest. Sometimes we just push our bodies way beyond the limits. When we don't rest and forge away, our bodies have a way of reminding us that we are not the Superman/woman we think we are :)
ReplyDeleteI've tried to schedule more rest this year and working in a much less stressful job. That plus the divine presence in my life and the many online and offline positive people in my life has kept me in positive health so far. (knock on wood;) )
So not only regular daily breaks, but not sure if I mentioned to you, I'm going to take an extended summer break this year to unwind and recharge, see family aroudn the world and center myself more :)
Your plans for the summer sound great, Vishnu! It seems you are doing all the right things to keep your body and mind and spirit in balance.
DeleteThanks, too, for your get well wishes, my friend. Last night was my first in three weeks that I didn't get up coughing. What a blessing!
Love and blessings to you, and thanks for visiting!