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