“How are you?” I ask my friend. “Tired. Just really, really tired,” she says.
“How are you?” She asks in return. I echo her words.
“Tired. Just really, really tired.”
We smile and nod with the shared understanding that this season of life we are in can be very tiring at times. While we both love our little people, we would also love a little more sleep! At times I have tried to deny how I feel. Or I would brush it off as no big deal as I didn’t want to sound like I was whinging but that only resulted in buried feelings of frustration. So, I now acknowledge how I am feelingand, on the days, where I am exhausted and extra tired, I go easy on myself.
This may mean having the occasional eggs on toast for dinner or letting the folding of the washing wait for another day, or two.
Be Still
I must admit, learning to be still has taken me a while to learn. To give myself the permission to rest and go easy on myself is something I am still learning how to do properly.
One day when I was busy doing all the ‘things’ needing getting done, I felt the Holy Spirit whisper, “Be Still.”
But I brushed it off as I had all the ‘things’ in front of me needing to get done. All the while knowing life would go on perfectly okay if I took 15 minutes to get off my feet and rest.
I kept going and kept feeling this uneasy, flighty and distracted feeling so I thought listening to some background music may help. The first song on my playlist was (unknowingly) Hillsong’s,Be Still.
I smiled. Okay Holy Spirit I think you are trying to tell me something. But silly me, I kept doing all the ‘things’ needing to get done.
Until finally, exhausted, Icollapsed onto the couch andhad a look at my phone.
The daily bible verse was, yes, you guessed it,“Be Still and know that I am God” (Psalm chapter 46, verse 10).
“Okay Lord you have my attention!” I said. I needed to rest, and God really wanted me to as well.
Sometimes the holiest thing we can do is rest
Psalm chapter 23, verse2 says,“He lets me rest in green meadows; he leads me beside peaceful streams.”
Rest may look different to different people as we all differ in what helps us to feel rested and rejuvenated. It may take the form of having a nap, going for a walk, swimming, reading, gardening, or simply meditating.
Personally, I always feel rested and calm after spending quiet time reading God’s word and meditating on it. I do believe and have experienced supernatural energy after this as well.
Isaiah chapter 40, verses 31-32 proclaims, “But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint.”
I am learning how important it is to rest and to rest properly. I greatly benefit from it, and everyone else in my life benefits from me it as well.
Usually all the ‘things’ can wait a little while and normally get done more efficientlyif I am in a rested state of being.So, on that note, I’m off to have a little read and cup of tea.
Be Still- Jo Fuller
Slow it down, turn it down
Hear the whipbirds, whip and the songbirds, sing.
Let nature’s sound soothe and heal
Embrace the comfort it brings.
Jo Fuller lives on the beautiful Sunshine Coast with her husband and young family. Jo has degrees in journalism and education and loves to read and write and spend time with her family.