Even though our couch is large, the girls move in close beside me.
We’ve been reading a couple pages from this book about the life of ants every day for almost a week now. Their fascination with these tiny insects is clear and they can’t wait to learn more.
Today’s reading was mostly about how ants travel.
Yet, at the bottom of the second page there was a small box with an interesting fact:
The hotter it gets, the faster ants move.
This fascinating piece of information was perplexing.
I can confidently say, that when temperatures rise, I don’t move faster. In fact, I slow down. Are you this way too?
If I were to analyze this behaviour closer, I would have to say that the seasons impact how I function. Spring and fall are my seasons of energized renewal, while winter and summer are my seasons of quiet exhaustion.
I often make grand plans in the spring for how I want to spend my summer. I assemble a summer bucket list and envision new experiences and fun field trips. But when the summer arrives, all I want to do is slow down.
Over the past few months, I’ve been running a race. I’ve been writing, creating, planning, cleaning, and scheduling. As I dashed from one thing to the next, I became unfocused.
When I opened my eyes in the morning, I dreaded the day ahead because I ran out of energy before the day even started.
I didn’t have the stamina to clean the house. I lacked the motivation to
I recognized a deep need to slow down.
I desired rest.
As I thought about rest I began to question my interpretation of what it truly means to rest.
It’s not about more sleep or afternoon quiet times… rest is deeper than that.
Rest is release. It’s about letting go of lists and expectations.
Rest is quiet. It’s calming the mind and being disciplined in thought and meditation.
Rest is thriving where we are instead of striving for where we want to be.
Rest is peace. It’s about forgiving and seeking forgiveness.
Rest is trust. It’s about relinquishing control and trusting in God’s plan for today and every day.
As I considered these things, I began to sense how I could dip my toes in the waters of rest. You see, rest is in the little things…
It’s in the breeze on my face as I rock back and forth on a swing. Rest is in watching the flicker of a candle.
I find it as I watch the birds perch in the tree outside my window. It reveals itself as I close my eyes and listen to music. Rest appears as I read a book to my daughters.
Rest is in a walk through the river valley. It’s when I colour with my girls or when I pull weeds from my garden.
Rest is watching the clouds in the sky, or enjoying a summer storm. From the stirring of batter in a bowl, to the sipping of my morning coffee, rest meets me anywhere.
Rest is a gift that’s abundant and it’s there for the taking… we just need to know how to claim it.
Prayer and trust
First of all, rest requires prayer and trust that the Lord will give physical, mental, and emotional rest. See Matthew 11: 28-30 for inspiration.
Sometimes when I can’t fall easily into prayer, I need a nudge. Listening to worship songs helps me slow down and brings me into a calmer state of mind.
Intention and discipline
Secondly, rest takes deliberate intention and discipline. Rest requires a singular focus. It simply needs you to concentrate on one thing at a time and when you do that, you can find rest in everything and anything you do.
So the next time you’re folding laundry or vacuuming, I encourage you to find rest in the moment. Take a deep breath and focus on that one task. Concentrate on what you’re doing. Don’t fret about what’s next, your schedule, or your plans for the week. Calm your mind and enjoy the present moment of this one thing.
True rest is possible
Rest is possible, even for the busy mom. So when it’s hot and you’re tempted, like the ants, to speed up, don’t.
Resist doing all the things.
Set your eyes on rest. It will come.
Absolutely love this, because as much as I love the summer season, I do feel a level of tired, burnt out and in need of rest. Plus, we went away a few weeks ago, but upon coming back I feel even less rested as much as our trip was awesome in the moment. So, again thank you for not only the reminder, but also some great ways to help find and seek our rest now. Wishing you an amazing week ahead now!! xoxo :)
Rest is so important to the mama’s soul. How are we to have energy for our loved ones when we don’t take care of ourselves?
I’m so glad this post encouraged you. I hope you can get some well deserved rest.
YES. I tend to slow down with heat too! And eat less.
As a full-time default parent, and as a full-time worker, rest? I am bad at it. I find I’m either all or nothing without much in between. I either work, work, work, or lie around doing nothing. No balance. I want to find true rest – in my mind. In my soul.
I found that at the beach over the weekend!
Yes, we have to be intentional about seeking out that rest. It’s so important.
Glad you found some rest at the beach (what a good place for it).
Great article..Loved it..Very helpful..Thank you for sharing!
I am beginning to prepare myself for a season of rest. Summer has been SO incredibly busy, and the kids go back to school in just a few weeks- which is triggering great anxiety for me. I worry. One going into middle school and the other high school. BIG transitions. BIG new open world they will need to muddle through. I’m scared. For them. BUT I will find peace in knowing they are truly in God’s hands.
And when this house becomes empty and quiet- I am going to try to not go into productive mode because I sense God is wanting me to rest and pray and sit still for a while. I sense that God wants to equip and prepare me for something…
Thank you for this encouragement. It is a great launching ground for the upcoming season. <3
I’ve been sensing God prompting me in the direction of rest as well. So glad this was timely for you Chris.
I love this post about rest! It’s so true that it’s more about your state of mind than actually resting. Sometimes I’ll be physically resting but my mind won’t shut down. But when my mind is at ease, I feel rested.
Yes, the mind is a critical part of true rest. I’m delighted you enjoyed this!
Oh, this is so true. I’m exhausted by the heat, the demand to keep kids entertained in the summer, the bucket lists and the last-minute prep for school. I love summer, but I feel like Fall is when I get to rest. Thanks for the reminder to rest right now! :)
Absolutely love this, because as much as I love the summer season, I do feel a level of tired, burnt out and in need of rest.
I’m glad this was timely for you. Hopefully with these tips, you can find some rest this summer.