Rest.
It’s hard to rest. It’s hard for this multi-tasking, type A, homemaking mamma to stop and rest.
Day one of our holiday and I found it hard to be still. I was supposed to be doing something. An article. Editing. Cooking dinner. Folding laundry. I don’t sit. I do.
But I needed rest. And once I embraced the idea of rest –I slept. I slept all night with no little voices asking for water or one more story. I slept in the morning at the beach, in the afternoon at the pool, and at night in the hotel. It was good.
I can’t believe I fought the idea of being still for so long, and I can’t help compare this thought to how I fought resting on the Sabbath.
The Sabbath is a day set aside to worship God. To draw near to Him. To foster family and friend relationships. To rest. Somewhere along the line I slipped into the tread that used Sunday to catch up on laundry, cooking and other work pushed aside all week. About a year ago I noticed this trend and decided the best way to fight it was to tell my daughter my plans. Trust me, she holds me accountable!
She’ll remind me Saturday night after prayers that after we worship God in the morning the whole day is devoted to family and fun. She can’t wait.
Some of the things that have changed for me?
- No laundry is done on Sunday. And guess what – we always have clothes to wear. It turns out I didn’t need that day to catch up.
- We all enjoy some alone time for about an hour and a half. We can do whatever relaxes us and that looks different for each one of us. Some of us read, some nap, play games, or putter outdoors.
- We have a traditional Sunday dinner of a buffet of leftovers, fresh fruit, yogurt, granola, cheese, and anything easily pulled out of the refrigerator or cupboard.
- We watch a family movie over dinner.
- Go to bed and REST. Just the way it was meant to be.