Come Rest

For awhile now I have been struggling with the idea of resting. For me, as a mom/wife it is so easy to get consumed by all the things on my to-do list. You start at the top of the mountain at the beginning (of the week, month, or when there are only a few things on your to-do list) and the more that adds up the more you get pushed down into the valley only now you are unable to climb back to the top.

I have been consumed by the duties of my roles in our family (house work, mothering, etc.) and by my jobs/duties that I have taken on (working at church and photography to earn extra money). And yet I have neglected to take the time to REST which keeps me from giving my best.

And as a result, I have neglected the things that mean the most to me. My quality time with the Lord usually results in a small nugget here and there. My house is "clean" but no where near to my standards of making it a "haven" for my family. My children are taken care of but not receiving the "quality time" just quantity time. And my sweet husband gets the last of me (which is usually short in patience and not exuding any fruit of the Spirit) if there is anything left. And this isn't the way it should be.

I should not wake up in the morning already overwhelmed at what my day looks like before my feet hit the floor.

Last week I went over to a sweet friend's house and she shared a song with me that I had not heard yet and there it hit me. Like a ton of bricks. Across the head.

COME REST. This simple title rang through my ears and pierced my heart. I have been a Martha lately but I need to remember to stop and be Mary as well.

Lindsay McCaul (the author) describes the song as such:
"I wrote the song (“Come Rest”) with two of my good friends after I’d been thinking through (and being convicted by) the story of Martha & Mary in Luke 10. It struck me that maybe one of the most easily and often confused lines in the life of a believer (well…mine anyway) is that between self-reliance and setting aside the time to wait for strength from God. In the fast-paced culture we live in, taking time out of a hectic schedule to rest and spend time with God can easily be viewed as an unaffordable luxury! Subconsciously, some of us might even see it as a waste of the precious time we’ve been entrusted with. It seems so ridiculously, obviously backwards typing about it now, but I know I’ve definitely been guilty of this. We press on and push through our growing stress, anxiety and weariness, surviving on a slim weekend diet of time in the Word, all the while ignoring the invitation to trade our heavy burdens for rest for our souls (Matthew 11:28-30). Wow. I’ve subconsciously hailed and emulated Martha’s exhausting work ethic and shared in her incredulity at the Mary’s of today –the people who sit content at Jesus’ feet and unknowingly add fuel to the pride of my self-sufficiency. Man. It looks harsh now on paper, but this thought also hit me: God would never have extended an invitation that we didn’t desperately need to accept!

So, all that to say, Come Rest is my attempt at retelling Martha’s side of the story from my own perspective/experience. Hope it’s an encouragement to you today as you draw close to Jesus –His yoke is easy and His burden is so light."


Another friend wrote a beautiful post this week that was the second giant hit across the head for me as she shared about her need for rest as well. It was as if she was the fly riding my back that knew my every thought and feeling. Her words, "Nothing was set apart or sacred...time for reconnecting as husband and wife, family time, or time for renewing our intimacy with God" screamed from my inner being.

We go, go, go and yet we never stop to REST.

And so today I write for accountability that I am making some changes. Some of these changes will affect others--playdates, photography clients, and more. And I will share that later. But for now I am stopping to rest. Resting in my Lord. Making a Sabbath day. Set apart time. Asking Him for clarity in our lives. Asking for His direction. Basking in His goodness. Sitting at His feet. Content. Resting.