Halt!

I marched into 2019 ready to shake things up. We spent the first few days in SoCal, helping my mom and sis prepare to move. Mom sold our childhood home, and there were 42 years and 4 generations of stuff to sort, entangled in oh so many emotions. We built in some fun (San Diego Zoo and Disneyland) because balance.

Home again, I hit the ground running–between two jobs, there was lots of activity, not to mention unpacking, laundry, all the regular routines.

I hustled myself smack dab into a brick wall. Cue one sleepless night, coughing so hard I couldn’t breathe.

I don’t get sick often. When I do, I can usually positive think my way past it. I might take a nap, or even take a day, but by Day 2 I’m back at it. This time, though, I sensed that pushing through would make things worse. I needed to honor my body and give it rest.

This week has been a long, boring blur of hydration, magazines, naps, TV, and intermittent attempts to focus my incoherent brain on work.

Meanwhile, my friend and creative companion has posted images on Instagram from our recent joint project, 31 Bible to-do cards featuring a word for each card, beautifully designed and hand-lettered by her, and a Bible verse (chosen) and prayer (written) by me.

On Sunday, my first sick day, she posted:

Come

Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Matthew 11:28

Lord, my body and soul are heavy. I’m coming to rest in your loving arms. Amen.

What a great reminder that Jesus invites us to rest in Him! Rather than trying to shoulder through on my own strength, I surrendered to His embrace.

A couple days later she posted:

Rest

This is what the Lord commanded: ‘Tomorrow is to be a day of sabbath rest, a holy sabbath to the Lord. Exodus 16:23

Lord, teach me to trust you as I obey your command to rest. Amen.

Another reminder, this time that I need to trust God when He tells me to rest. Here I am, at home, with time on my hands and a bazillion things that need doing, and I have exactly zero ounces of energy to do anything. Oh well, the family can step up or step around, stuff’ll get done eventually.

Rest is God’s gift, even when it comes as a necessary result from chance encounter with bad buggies. We tend to fight rest like willful children fight bedtime. This week, I’m learning to appreciate the gift.