A Mommy Mind Game and “Rest for the Weary”

Devotional for 4/7/11

In my neck of the woods birds twitter all day long and pesky squirrels dash along fence tops teasing neighborhood dogs. Grass, flowers, and weeds: all signs of the winter’s end and a new season begun.

A fresh start is sometimes just the thing we (wives, mothers, friends, sisters, coworkers) need. I find I need it in my mind. Have you ever been in traffic, on your way to work, and pretended just for a moment that you were going someplace else? Perhaps you’ve looked around at an intersection with renewed interest instead of staring straight ahead because you’ve passed this way a thousand times?

When I was up to my waist in young children, diapers, laundry and dishes with no end in sight I was, to put it mildly, exhausted. While out running an errand, and stuck at another light, I started wishing I was anywhere but here. I was tired of my life, my home, my job, my routine! Yes, I was even tired of being a mother and a wife.

Then I asked myself, where would I go? I fondly pictured my grandmother’s neat little home and tidy kitchen. She would insist on feeding me. A smile slowly appeared on my face. I sighed as I looked about me with fresh eyes and imagined I was looking at streets in another town and state. All of a sudden the breeze felt fresher and the sun shined a little brighter. Yes, I was still running errands on a hot day in a busy suburb. But my mind had taken a mini vacation and my body had felt the refreshment of it for those few moments. I had tasted rest and it was good.

We could all use more refreshment but the kind that comes from a vacation or a weekend doesn’t last. Jesus knows what we need; we just need to ask for new energy with faith and confidence in Him

“I'll refresh tired bodies; I'll restore tired souls.”

Jeremiah 31:25

"Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you'll recover your life. I'll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won't lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you'll learn to live freely and lightly."

Matthew 11:28-30

I desire to live freely and lightly. Walking the path God has laid out for me without whining, complaining, or feeling like I need a nap all the time. I will choose to keep company with Him by reading, thinking about, and loving His Word.

Written by Mary M. Wilkins