Oct 10, 2012

Tiny breaths. Dark hair stuck to sweaty skin under the quilt. The sweet smell of lavender. Long eyelashes fluttering as my dreamer sleeps. Rosebud mouth open and making soft sucking sounds. Perfect fingers clutching my thumb.

The morning light stretches warm across my feet as I sit rocking my sleeping son. A yellow afghan wraps him warm and safe in my arms as he curls against my chest. One hand clutches my thumb, the other curls around his favorite teddy bear.

Groceries sit in the hallway, waiting to be put in the fridge. But I don't care. Today, for just a little while, my son has found peaceful rest in my arms.

I smile as he shifts slightly in his sleep, snuggling in closer to me. At 16 months old, this is the first time he has chosen to take his nap in my arms in nearly a year. My little man is often so busy that he just doesn't have time to sit still and rest. There are rooms to explore, toys to play, life to live.

My eyes close, trying to capture this memory and engrave it in my mind. This sweet moment, this evidence of God's grace in the midst of morning chaos. I think of how glad I am that my son has finally decided to rest. How much happier he will be when he wakes, renewed with energy to take on the world once more.

In this moment, I hear a quiet voice saying, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”

I am struck by the vision of my Heavenly Father, watching me rush through life with my packed day-planner and my independent need to do all and be all to everyone. And all the while He whispers, “Be still, and know that I am God.”

I hear myself telling my sweet son daily how much better he will feel if he would just lie down and rest for a while. And I see the thumb go into his tiny mouth, resisting, because there is so much he wants to do. So I carry him, tuck him into bed, and kiss his sweet forehead. He frowns at me, thumb still in his mouth, and puts his other hand over his eyes. In a few moments, despite his best efforts, he falls asleep. A few hours later, I hear a sweet voice singing, “Uh oh. Uh oh. Mama?” He is all smiles when I pick him up, his batteries recharged and running at full speed. He holds his mouth up for a kiss, and then squirms to get down, anxious to continue the adventure of life.

How often does our Father watch us run ourselves into the ground with our busy schedules, just wishing that we would come to Him and find rest? And how often do we resist, confident that we can do everything by ourselves?

Sometimes, like little children, we resist His offer of rest. We fill our days with meetings, appointments, and outreach ministries – never taking time to just be still in His presence. Instead of choosing to climb into His lap and find peace, we run.

Patiently, the Father watches our frenzied pace and waits for us. And when we fall in exhaustion, He carries us in His arms and whispers, “Come to me, and I will give you rest.”

Wouldn't it be better to choose instead to take a rest from our busy lives and rest in Him? “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” 

 *****

Verses taken from Matthew 11:28 and Psalms 46:10.

1 comment:

Reese said...

This is absolutely amazing, sweetheart! You are such an awesome writer! :)

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