Resting in the Lord

Ahhhh... it is a laxadazy Wednesday this week!  Actually, until about 1pm it is anyway!  Zachary, being the only public schooled member of the house, has Thursday/Friday off.  It is hard to homeschool the others when big brother is home chillin'! 


So this week entailed NO spelling (yes, there were cheers from two out of three of my students!), math review, and a jump start to our poetry unit.  The kids picked a favorite on Monday and had it memorized by yesterday so they gave their poetry reading last night and not much was left to do this week!

Dad heads to town with studded tires in 'trunk', anticipating next week's freeze.  B & Bk (as we lovingly refer to our youngest two) were anxious to go with and visit Baka (aka: Grandma!).  So math was done, reading was completed, and my two darlings loaded in with tires, charted a course for 'town' with dear Dad!

Me and Ashley remain and I hardly know what to do with two hours of dead time!  This NEVER happens!!!  So here I sit, sharing my ramblings with the blog sphere and basking in the temporary, peaceful pace of current before chaos re-ensues! 

I like opportunities in the week for guilt-free divergence from the typical schedule.  A moment to re-gather thoughts.  A moment to BREATHE.  A moment to ponder.  I feel blessed when God surprises me with moments as such.  I know they are treasures to delight in.  Nourishment from a lazy stream.  God knows paths lie ahead that may be uphill or bumpy.  He wants me to have rest to be ready for each journey ahead.


Yesterday I had a conversation in which Mathew 11:28-29 was discussed...

Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls."  (NLT)

I have always thought of this "rest" as simply... well.... REST!  But yesterday I realized it is more than just that.  It is much like1 Peter 5:7...

Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.  (NIV)

When we come to the Lord for rest, we should be laying our burdens down.  When you reach a stream and you kneel, cup your hands, and bend over to dip and sip of the cool wetness... do you do so with a large pack on your back?  Well, you can, but is typically more burdensome.  

To truly rest, and take a break from your journey, you would remove your pack, sip your drink and rest a while.  This is what our Heavenly Father asks of us.  Our pack is our burdens, our worries, our anxieties.  But what is better about removing this figurative pack in our metaphorical journey is that, once we are done resting, we don't have to put it back on!!!  God carries it for us for the rest of the journey!!!  He WANTS to.

The next time you sit to ponder, rest, and contemplate the quiet (or contemplate the lack of!) remember to give your burdens to the Lord, let him carry them the rest of the way, and don't ask for them back.  It is HIS joy to carry that pack for you! 


May you find rest in the small moments today.