“Truly my soul finds rest in God; my salvation comes from him.” Psalm 62:1

“E. E. E” the warning light on my gas gauge flashed at me again. Although it was signaling the level of fuel in my SUV was low, I knew that it was also a reminder of the frantic pace I had been running.

My soul had hit empty.

Yes you’re tired, but you just have to get through this one last meeting. You have to just tap into your reserves and power through this one last thing. You can rest once it’s done.

Have you experienced that same internal conversation? Why do we struggle to rest? If you’re like me, it’s slightly uncomfortable to not be doing something at all times. Sitting and resting feels icky when I glance around my house and see all the work that needs to be done. Piles of laundry clogging up my floor, and a dishwasher waiting to be loaded beg for my attention. It takes serious willpower to ignore those pulls and sit at the feet of the Father with a cup of coffee.

As I flipped open my Bible today, I noticed that Jesus even rested. Here He is the Son of God, with the single most important ministry on the planet and He took time to get away from everyone (his family, disciples, people who needed him) and all of His chores (I’m guessing he still had laundry, dishes or other responsibilities!) to rest and pray.

We all know rest is important but today I asked myself, “why do I not value my rest as highly as I value my productivity?” Jesus clearly did. He knew that there would be times where He would be the one pouring out but that there were also times where He would need to be poured into.

If you’re sensing that your soul is also on “E”, then take the time to step back, shut off the noise around you, and truly rest. If you can, get away for a weekend. Take a long walk through a park alone. Clear your schedule and hire a sitter for the day. Purpose to have nothing on your to-do list other than to rest and spend time with the Father.

Remember friend, God’s love for you isn’t based on how productive you are, how clean your house is, or how involved you are in helping others. His love for us is everlasting and doesn’t increase or decrease based on our performance or achievements.

It is ok to rest. It is ok to pause. It is ok to sit in silence and not be productive every second of every day. (I’m literally cringing typing that sentence because I HATE being unproductive. Help me Jesus!). Because if God wired us to need rest, then we are dishonoring Him when we dismiss it as unimportant.

When we choose to enter into seasons of rest, we will then find that when we re-enter seasons of productivity our output will be higher and greater than it ever could’ve been! God will use your willingness to slow down and listen to His voice to bless others around you in a greater way.

Mama, He’s calling you into His rest.

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