Rest

Today is chaotic.  

But despite the feelings I have about the mess, the noise, the dirty dishes and constant flow of dirty laundry, I find myself craving TRUE REST.  Again.  I crave the human basic need for rest.

Have you ever danced for so long, so hard, and with such joy that you found yourself taking that deep breath and saying "I need to sit down!"  Yup, that's exactly how I feel right now.  

I enjoy the blessing of being a mother of 3 healthy children.  

But I don't enjoy every moment of it!  *gasp*!!!!  There, I said it!  I don't.  

The days can be long, especially during a cold Winter like the ones we have here in Indiana.

The day-to-day chores, feedings, cleaning, washing, folding,... can be just that, a routine.

So, for this entire month of February, I'm challenging myself to take that deep breath.

I am taking daily breaths and saying "I need to sit down!"

Last year I embarked on my journey to rediscover my Forgotten Hobby.  Remember that?

For the entire month of February, I took a writing challenge and blogged for 28 days straight.

I'm doing that again.  But this time, it'll be a rediscover of what it means to REST.  

To TRULY rest.

To relearn what it means to take those daily deep breaths and to hit pause on the chaos of life.  I gotta confess, though.  It's a scary challenge.  What am I going to write about for 28 days straight?  Could I really take time everyday to rest?  

So... here's the deal!  (Yes, I'm just talking to myself here, folks!  Excuse me for a sec...)

Resting by writing.  Resting by singing.  Resting by meditating.  Resting by sharing a sweet recipe.  Resting by escaping the mundane routine.  That's all.  Rest.  Purposeful and intentional time to take that deep breath, daily.

I once read that making space for rest is the window for us to clearly see God in our lives.  To bring a white canvas in front of us EVERYDAY so God can use us to portray His grace, His love, His work in and through us.  

How many of you have read the book Finding Spiritual Whitespace: Awakening Your Soul to Rest

 by Bonnie Gray?

That book has completely shaken my faith journey with the Lord.  It's taught me more about God's love, grace, and the unconditional desire He has for us to spend time with Him.  Just because.  

So, if you were to describe your need for rest, would you be able to define your WHY, your HOW, and your WHERE?  That's the journey I've been on.  Rediscovering what it means to rest.  Learning more about my need to rest.  And enjoying the process of rest in places I could've never imagined!

So...  for today... Dance away!  Take time to DANCE your heart out!  Take time to find what brings you JOY.  And believe me.  This is all a journey.  It's a process.  Sometimes short.  Sometimes long.  But nonetheless, don't deprive yourself of truly walking (or dancing) this journey.  

Join me!