Woman Of Promise: Letters To The Single Motherনমুনা

Day 4: Promise: God will give you rest.

Dear Single Mother,
God will give you rest and restore your strength.
I know you are tired. Weary. 

Most single mothers carry far more than they can bear, with the unfortunate belief that something must be wrong because they “should be able to handle this.” They wonder why they are not stronger. Wiser. More capable than they are. And perhaps like me, they worry about the day their life will fall apart, and everyone will discover how inadequate they are. 

Do you relate to this level of exhaustion?

It’s time to rest, dear one.

First, rest in the knowledge that you are not expected by God to do this on your own. We live in a broken world. We suffer and grow weary, and at times the pressures will feel too much to bear. We are not strong enough to handle everything on our own. No one is. But with God all things are possible. 

Second, God expects us to rest, and like a good parent, He models the behavior He would like to see in His children before giving a command. Our Father, the Creator of heaven and earth, rested from His work. 

God did not rest because He was tired. He rested from His work to set a precedent for His people. Knowing our propensity to strive and work despite our exhaustion, God gave the Israelites a Sabbath rest as a blessing and commanded it by law. 

And we can take comfort knowing our Savior is not a distant God, unsympathetic to our emotions, needs, and trials. Both fully God and fully human, Jesus experienced exhaustion, hunger, thirst, grief, anger, sadness, and temptation. Jesus understands the human condition and reaches out to us in our need. When his disciples returned from distant villages after anointing and healing the sick, Jesus saw their weariness and offered them rest in His presence and care. “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.” Mark 6:31

Slow down. Put your feet up. Read with your kids instead of washing the dishes. Take a nap. Sit a while with Jesus. Journal. Take your Sabbath and allow God to restore your body and soul. It’s a gift.[CS1]  

Believing with you,

Michelle Lynn Senters
“Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her!" Luke 1:45 (NIV)