We Cried Together.

My toddler and I bonded over tears last night, and I’m really hoping it’s not a core memory for him.

We cried together. Big old sobs. & my poor husband didn’t know who to console first.

This week was a great week, but it was exhausting.

I am tired.

I am stretched thin.

I am juggling too much.

I am in need of Rest.

Ironically, every Podcast Carrie and I have recorded over this past week has echoed our Biblical call for a Sabbath. So, God has been sending me the message … I’ve been hearing it too. I even put “establish a Sabbath” on my To-Do list. I just wasn’t listening to the immediate call.

I think my cry session with Cecil was a final sign from God.

I need to take the Sabbath seriously.

As a woman balancing a marriage, a toddler, a pregnancy, two businesses, a home, family commitments, church commitments, and a social life it is so easy to fill my calendar. It is so easy to overwork and over plan.

It is not easy to leave free time when there is so much happening around us.

I think being busy is just part of my bloodline too. I grew up in a house with a mother who is also a busy body. To this day, the woman doesn’t sit still. If she does, it’s only to plot her next organization idea, plan a home project, or stew about the people able to rest around her. As I grow into my ‘adulthood’, I see this same trait. I hold myself to similar “home” expectations. I even stew when my husband can relax while there are a hundred things in my mind that could get done.

But, even us busy bodies have to rest. And that is a message God is sending to me loud and clear.

In the Old Testament, not honoring the Sabbath was punishable by death. It’s literally in Exodus and Numbers. Clearly God takes it seriously. & honestly, if the Alpha and Omega, the Creator of the Universe needs a day of rest, obviously we do too.

So why is it so hard?

I think for me, it’s about mindset. What do I see or think about when I think about rest? Am I positively or negatively associating it with my worth in this world?

Last week, Carrie asked me how seriously I would take the Sabbath if it was still punishable by death. & honestly, I would NOT mess it up if that was the case … who would? Then she followed up with the fact that although God doesn’t still punish us with death, not resting will lead us to a myriad of problems that can put us in an early grave. This got me thinking about my priorities. I don’t know about you, but I want to live a long, happy and healthy life with my husband watching our boys flourish and build their own lives in this world.

Tonight, when Cecil lost it at bedtime avoiding much needed rest, I was so aggravated. He is so blessed to have nap and bedtime at 9P with the ability to just sleep until he wakes up. He’s so blessed to have true rest as a child.

His tears and my aggravation triggered my tears. I was immediately humbled. God gives us this same blessing. As His children, we are blessed to have rest in Him and with His Sabbath. The Sabbath isn’t a one and done concept - it is listed in SO many places in the Bible. The first four books alone mention it multiple times, but so does Deuteronomy, Isaiah, and Ezekiel. Even Mark and Luke talk about it in the New Testament. God wants us to rest. He wants it so much so that he kept reiterating its importance through many authors and generations.

How amazing is it that in a world where people constantly raise expectations and want something from you or out of you that our God wants us to take time to rest - to enjoy all we have been blessed with and turn our burdens over to him?

This week, I’m writing Sabbath in my calendar. I’ve obviously been bad about leaving the free time and saying no, so I will treat it like any other important commitment I have, it’s scheduled, so I will be busy - busy resting.

I plan to spend my Sabbath diving deeper into his word to truly understand what Sabbath means and what it can look like for us, and don’t worry, I’m sure this blog will come with a part two.

But for now, I challenge you to evaluate your Sabbath.

Are you scheduling time to rest? Are you scheduling intentional time to be in the word and alone with family? Is there a time in your week where you are putting down the distractions of life to just check in on you, give glory to God, and enjoy the fruits of your labor and His blessings?

This is a command God has blessed us with. This is a command that is meant to keep our cups full and restore our hearts. This is a command we need to live with even today.

Hebrews 4:9-11 tells us, “Therefore, a Sabbath rest remains for God’s people. For the person who has entered his rest has rested from his own works, just as God did from his. Let us then make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will fall into the same pattern of disobedience.”

Ironically, my toddler stopped crying and said, “Mommy hold you as he wrapped his tiny arms around my neck when he saw my tears. My husband prayed over our family, and we cuddled up as we all drifted off. I needed this rest with the comfort of my boys tonight, but more importantly I needed the wake up call to God’s call. Today, I woke up slow. I laid in bed for my devotional and decided I wouldn’t rustle about until my little guy had woke. I took time to continue to rest and think about what a Sabbath will look like in our family calendar. Now, as I lay in bed, after time in prayer and reflection writing this blog, I want to leave us with a prayer.

Heavenly Father, help free us of the worldly hustle and give us the confidence to establish guilt free Sabbaths within our homes. Help us find peace in your rest. Help us give ourselves grace on our to-do lists, so we can truly enjoy time in your word and with the people you have blessed us with. We love you Lord, and we are so grateful for a God who wants us to rest in Him and find peace with Him. In Your Name we pray, Amen.

Let’s find our Sabbath. Let’s enjoy Rest in Him.

God’s Love & Mine,

Christina