Overwhelmed by My Blessings: Encouragement for Moms (Part 11)Sample

“Then Jesus said, “Let’s go off by ourselves to a quiet place and rest awhile.” He said this because there were so many people coming and going that Jesus and his apostles didn’t even have time to eat. So they left by boat for a quiet place, where they could be alone.”
‭‭Mark‬ ‭6:31-32‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Wow. They went away to a quiet place, to rest, where they could be alone! Can you even imagine? Probably not. I remember the first time I ever heard the clock in my living room tick. I wasn’t even sure what the noise was at first. I was experiencing a rare, blissful, moment of quiet in a normally noisy, chaotic place. Someday, you will experience it.  

I love this scripture passage because the very next verse tells us that many people recognized Jesus and His apostles and ran ahead to get to them. You know this feeling! I can never get away. It’s never going to end. I’ll always have kids running after and climbing all over me. “Mom! Mooommm!  Mooooommm!” We can’t even shower without a toddler screaming for us, or a teen wanting us to solve the latest life-fiasco behind a closed door. 

Resting. How does a mom possibly rest? 

It doesn’t come easy, and quite possibly that quick bathroom visit is all the rest you will get until you fall into bed tonight. But maybe, in this brief moment, the God of all creation is powerful enough that His Spirit can refuel you and pull you into the wide place where His grace and mercy flows. Maybe the Almighty doesn’t need days and hours to set our hearts and minds right and to remind us that He is still in control. Maybe it only takes a flash of His glory to fix all that is pressing in and overwhelming us, and to remind ourselves to fix our thoughts on Him. 

We are looking for rest in a quiet place, with our feet up and cold drink in our hand. A pillow and good book or chick flick would be awesome, but rest is not a location. Rest is a powerful Person. When we come to Him, He invites us to climb into His loving arms to find quietness in Him, even if it may be the briefest moments of our day. Will you choose to exchange your burdens for perfect Peace? It only takes a moment. 

Father, I don’t do well with giving You my burdens. As a mom, I continue trying to carry everything for everyone, forgetting that You are more than able and willing to carry all this with me. May I choose to rest in You, rather than seeing rest as a time to escape and get away from my busy life. May I find quietness in You, even in the commotion, fixing my thoughts on Your peace and presence. May all my confidence be in You. My Rest. My Peace. My All.