NEED REST?

It is almost Summer and many families have booked their 2021 vacation. I visited my mom for Mother's Day and I could tell by the traffic on the highways, people are already traveling. It was a beautiful moment to surprise my mom on Mother's Day weekend by bringing her sister to surprise her. They had not seen each other in 15 months. I sat on Mother's Day reflecting that a year ago this type of family reunion wasn't possible because of the pandemic. What a difference a year makes!

In our home we've been celebrating many birthday milestones. I picked a perfect beach cottage for us to finally get away. We like to keep it simple, just have fun at the beach. Before vacation, I get so excited thinking about what I want to do each day. I'm cautious now not to make ANY plans. You can pack numerous activities into your vacation and come back needing a vacation from the vacation. 

The only vacation plan we had was to visit the beach everyday.

Well the first two days of vacation we spent most of the day asleep. That's right - sleep on the couch. We spent months planning, picking the perfect beach house and we spend two days sleeping. I didn't realize how much my body needed the rest. We can run at a such a hurried pace that isn't sustainable. Life becomes breathless and frazzled because we aren't getting proper rest. 

Personally, it's been a whirlwind since the year started. Most people didn't know that I began the year with a razor sharp focus on publishing my book. That entailed submitting my manuscript, editing, graphic design approvals, constant chats with my project manager, marketing design and finally launching my newest best selling book, Power Of One, at the end of March. 

My body CRAVED rest but I wasn't listening. 

In fact I didn't even take time to really know how much rest I needed. During vacation, it felt good to lay down with no plans for the day. The day would just evolve. One day we took 3 naps in the same day. I've learned that just because I'm sitting still doesn't mean I am resting. Our minds can think of a thousand things we need to do while we are "resting". Being away from home allowed me to rest mentally because there were not any competing priorities fighting for my attention. The only mission of each day was to rest.

Are you in need of rest?

The rest I'm speaking of is mental and emotional rest. We've had many new nuances thrown our way over the past year. My prayer for you today is that you seek mental, emotional AND physical rest. Be still. Take a breath. Check in with yourself to see what you need. Be kind and gracious with yourself. Sometimes deep breathing and drinking water for hydration is the way for us to rest. 

Ample rest on vacation led me to feel a sense of refreshment. I gave my body something it didn't even know it needed. Rest is critical to sustain our life. 

Relax | Pause | Breathe 

After 2 days of rest, I finally made it to the beach.

"Are you weary, carrying a heavy burden? Come to me. I will refresh your life, for I am your oasis." ~Matthew 11:28 TPT