Yesterday was quite the day. It felt heavy on my chest the moment I arose from the bed. (5:07 a.m., for those of you who wondered)
I let my husband know that I was a little off-kilter and that I would, hopefully, return home in a better mood. Nothing was wrong, but nothing seemed to feel right, either.
Do you have days like that?
How I wish I could say that I returned home in a far better disposition. But I didn’t. The entire day seemed to be about me fighting off a bad mood. I just didn’t feel nice. I was a little depressed. Spiritually empty. Definitely overwhelmed. Bored…but extremely busy. (How does that work?)
I had several confrontations of a professional nature that just seemed to add to the stress level of my day. I gave up my breaks and lunch hour to do things that I felt were more important than relaxing and enjoying my lunch.
Why I continue to make that mistake is beyond me.
But today, just as He promised, came with new mercies. I can’t get yesterday back in order to make it better, but I can certainly move on. I can pick up the pieces and hand them over to God and say “Lord, you were right. I tried to make my own path and this is what became of it.”
Lead me. Comfort me. Give me Your peace.
How often do we fail to recognize the enemy’s attacks upon us because we need rest? It seems like the moment the alarm goes off the day is already filled with more tasks that we could possibly ever accomplish. My day should instead begin, not with me running straight toward the task, but instead falling at the feet of the One who can provide me rest.
I read a blog post today that gave me perspective into how much I long to rest. Bonnie Gray truly says it best.
Soul rest is a kind of rest we can savor — not as we should be. Nor as we ought to be. We can enjoy rest for our souls — as we are.
I exhaled loudly when I read this. Oh, how the enemy loves to attack our most vulnerable parts.
The tired parts.
The overwhelmed parts.
The parts of us that don’t feel appreciated enough.
The parts that lack patience.
The parts that don’t feel beautiful.
And, most especially, the parts that I feel I should fix before handing it over to Him. Like I have to put some final touch on it and polish it up a tad before I say “Okay, Lord – I’ve given you a head start. Now you can fix the rest.”
What a reminder that we are to enjoy rest for our souls just as we are. It is as vital to our lives as the air we breathe and Jesus tells us exactly where to obtain that rest. Because we are all weary and all carry heaven burdens, but in Him we will find the rest that we need.
When my feet hit the floor in the morning it is His rest that I must find. I want those steps to be directly in God’s shadow, walking that closely down the path He sets before me.
That is the rest I need…
The Lord replied, “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.” (Exodus 33:14, NIV)