Resting In Him

Have you ever felt like just curling up in a dark closet to escape the stressors of life?  My last two weeks have made me feel like I could do just that until the month of June is over. I've been so busy, and I feel like I have been going non-stop with no breaks to just sit and relax. I haven't been sleeping well at night because my mind is constantly making mental notes of what I can cross off my to-do list, what I have to add to my to-do list, and what is already on my to-do list that still needs to get done. By the end of this week I felt like I had gotten to the end of my rope, tied a knot, and have been hanging on for dear life. I couldn't even figure out what day of the week we were on by looking at my calendar. The Lord has been quietly nudging me and telling me to rest, but I am so stubborn that I think to myself, I'll rest later once I finish my to-do list. There is always something to add to my to-do list though, and rest keeps getting put on the back burner. With every passing day the last two weeks, I have found myself getting crabbier and more irritable over littler things that normally wouldn't bother me. I have grown less patient with my husband, and we have fought more each day over stupid things that we would normally never fight about. Today I finally opened my ears to what the Lord has been telling me to do. I took a few hours and I rested and this is what I realized:

When I grow weary and cry for more energy to make it through the day, I need to trust the Lord with my many worries and responsibilities. I need to rest when He tells me to. He is my heavenly Father and He knows what I need. This is why the Lord gives us one day each week to set aside all of our work, and rest. I need to allow my body and mind to refuel while I rest so that I can be more effective in what I do. The Lord wants me to let Him be my refuge when I'm weary from life. He is the one who wants to bear all my burdens. I need to rest in Him to receive His perfect peace, which will refresh and renew my strength. The Lord longs to give rest to my soul and peace in my heart. I need to position myself completely in the Lord's care and let go of all of the things that race through my mind. Then I will find true peace. In the middle of chaos and busyness, the Lord will always be my safe place - a place of peace. 

"Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest." -Matthew 11:28

"But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint." -Isaiah 40:31

I've been so busy and consumed in my own plans the last couple of weeks that I haven't even taken much time for my Lord. This makes my heart sad to know that the Lord creates each day for me and I can't even find a minute to thank him. This coming week I am going to make sure I take a few minutes to an hour each day to just rest in the Lord and thank him for the day. I am going to say no to people so that I don't over-committ myself and cram up my schedule to the point where I burn myself out. I am going to capture each day individually and not waste my strength in the present day worrying about tomorrow. Each day is the Lord's gift to me and I want to be able to enjoy it. If I look for God in each day He gives me, I will see the world differently. I want to live each day to the fullest, and that does not mean cramming every event I can into each day. I am going to start living each day for that day.

"This is the day the Lord has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it." -Psalm 118:24