Unrushed Living: Embracing Simplicity and Savoring Life's MomentsSample

Rest: A Part of the Plan

Return to your rest, my soul, for the LORD has been good to you. PSALM 116:7

When her heart got busy, the tug became real. It was an invitation she felt deep inside to convalesce. Not that she was overly broken. But she was beginning to recognize, as she got older, that life tended to wear her down but that God would build her up again. Over and over, she would return to the cocoon of His love and find herself restored, renewed, and stronger than before.

Nothing will come of the past now - what's done is done. There are no promises for the future yet. But today . . . oh, today. The richness of this moment when you get to breathe air, feel the sun, watch kids play, feel sorrow and strong hugs, make plans, and see how God’s plans have unfolded. Somewhere along the way we’ve learned that the hustle is everything. If we’re not working toward tomorrow, then are we really accomplishing anything of value? But when we live that way, we’re forgetting that God is at work. We also forget that rest is a part of the plan. For some reason, it’s become an act of courage to choose rest over other things, but for God, He asks it of us. Slow down, He says. Look around you. Remember where you’ve been and take a look at where you are. Daydream about tomorrow. When was the last time you truly rested? When did you sit on the back porch and sip a cup of tea? When did you lie in bed for thirty minutes before turning to your phone? When did you choose to trust God that resting is a part of your wiring? Make time today to rest. You’ll find Him waiting there for you.

God,

thank You for the gift of being able to rest. There’s beauty in being able to reflect on the goodness of what You are doing in my life. May I slow down long enough to draw near to You always. I want my heart to be filled with thanksgiving and gratitude without my thoughts always rushing to the next thing.

In Jesus’s name, Amen.