Rest
Wednesday, Nov 15, 2006
If there ever was a soft spot in my heart for a certain kind of person, it is the postpartum woman. She’s glowing, she’s thrilled, she’s wrapped in newborn bliss. She can also turn a pan upside your head for the slightest remark, too. Like the postpartum woman, I struggle with two sides of me too.
There is part of me that says, Obedience is always worth the cost! When Jesus tells us to “consider the cost,” it is not because we will surprisingly find that the sacrifices will be minor. Nothing worthwhile is easy. Chin up. Besides, it’s not like we live in a persecuted country.
The other part of me is self-absorbed, feeling sorry for myself. Sometimes I am tired. Matt Chandler writes about Christ who was tired and still was our perfect example:
“The story in John 4 about the Samaritan woman always stirs my soul. The piece that always shocked me was Jesus’ confession to his disciples that he was tired. I never think of Christ in these terms. The scriptures say he was tired, so he sat down and told the disciples to go on into town and get lunch. I try to imagine their conversation as they walked on into town ‘This guy can calm the seas and feed five thousand people, but he needs us to go get him a … sandwich?’ It seems like the only alpha male I’ve ever read about that doesn’t have a messiah complex is the actual Messiah. I think about how often we get tired but pretend like we’re not, pushing on through like we’re some kind of superman, cape waving in the wind, feeling no pain or fatigue. Not Jesus. When he hits the wall he confesses it to his crew and sits down for a bit.”

There is a time to work and a time to rest. After good hard work, a little rest can help you see the will of God better. He requires something of us, and it is easier to understand it when we are still.
12 Comments
RSS feed for comments on this post. TrackBack URI
Leave a comment
What a good reminder. It must have been strange for Almighty God to feel fatigue, but He was not ashamed of it. He merely did what was necessary to restore His body. However, there are other times when Jesus wanted to rest, but His compassion for the crowds pushed Him onward to heal and speak wisdom and life (and then to take the time to explain things -again- to his disciples). He is perfect in all things. His wonderfully understated example of working through fatigue when needed, but routinely finding refreshment as He “went off alone early in the morning” is one I need to remember.
Comment by Amanda (November 15, 2006 @ 6:11 am )
I can relate to the post partum woman because I am one…with an 8 week old. At this point, I have learned to surrender to rest. This way God gives me the grace to handle everything else. (During my rest I usually get interrupted several times by little boys who want a snack, want to play outside, are telling on their brothers…you get the idea!) God is good!
Comment by Nancy (November 15, 2006 @ 6:35 am )
I love that! With the birth of my last two children my dear German mother-in-law came to clean our house for us. Both times, she remarked at how TERRIBLE my mop was to use, which made me cry (both times)! Now, I’m known as the one who “gets her feelings hurt easily.”
I got over it in about three months, and I love my MIL dearly, but it was just bad timing!
Rest is good. It makes me a better servant for the kingdom. I just have to remember that so that I don’t feel guilty for slowing down sometimes.
Thanks for the great post!
Comment by Anita (November 15, 2006 @ 9:46 am )
Your little clip art is how I feel today. I’m not doing very well at the moment with having a meek and quiet spirit and being the loving example of motherhood that I should be. Thanks for the reminder….Oh, but there are days when I wish I could just jump off for a bit and be me for a few minutes!!
Comment by Another Heather (November 15, 2006 @ 12:00 pm )
ah yes! i can relate. i am learning that often i should bite my tongue before i make comments to my family after 8pm.
Comment by Ruth (November 15, 2006 @ 12:29 pm )
What’s this? We’re supposed to rest? You mean a mother’s physical need for sleep isn’t reduced by 2 hours each time she gives birth? LOL!
Seriously though, I’ve always loved the example Amanda mentioned. Our Lord rested when He needed to, but responded gently and promptly whenever his “children” woke or interrupted Him.
I’m working on it, thankfully I’m blessed with lots of opportunities to practice!
Comment by Kerrie (November 15, 2006 @ 1:30 pm )
Thank you Amy, I needed to hear this.
Comment by Susanne (November 15, 2006 @ 4:51 pm )
Thank you Amy! There are often times when I’ve looked at the writings of other Christian mothers and they have given me the strong impression that they felt is was *wrong* to need some rest and relaxation time.
Comment by Amy (November 15, 2006 @ 8:41 pm )
Amen! I used to feel guilty for “taking some time out to rest” when someone needed me, but I’m learning that I’m not created to do everything! (I have nine children ages 4 to 25 - am going to become a grammy in early April, I’m real excited about that! - and an ailing 78 year old mother who needs help from time to time!) I’m learning to delegate some things and also say ‘no’ to some things. Through prayer and meditating on His Word, I’m trying to “Be still and know that He is God.”
Comment by Pat (November 16, 2006 @ 10:09 am )
I really should have read this about 2 hours ago. Then, I would have napped with my son instead of berating myself for wanting to nap when I got perfectly good rest the night before.
So very true - such a good reminder.
Comment by snowflakesisters (November 16, 2006 @ 4:43 pm )
Not only did Jesus take a break in this passage, but he was sleeping in the bottom of the boat a different time. He must have been exhausted, because it appears that the raging storm didn’t awake him, but rather the frantic disciples did. So, indeed and for sure, there is a general rule that when you are exhausted it is the RIGHT thing to do to get rest wherever you can get it.
However, another interesting thing about the passage that you cited is: when the disciples got back from town, Jesus wasn’t so hungry anymore. He got recharged, in this case, by a food of which the disciples were not aware … the food of doing his Father’s will. This is not to negate the need for physical rest, but simply to remember that, sometimes, God feeds you, granting you sustenance in the midst of a situation in which it is physically impossible to understand how you could be refreshed.
May God bless all of you who are laboring in love, training the youngest generation to love the LORD God with all their hearts, souls, and minds … even when the day in and day out requirement (as you rise up, as you lie down, as you sit at home, as you walk along the way) makes the task exhausting.
Comment by JFC (November 21, 2006 @ 3:22 pm )
[...] not just that I’M NAUSEA-FREE!!!!!! Yes! And the sentiment is not just because I’m a postpartum blubbering mess. I truly love this family, this life, and this little baby God sent our family. How [...]
Pingback by Amy’s Humble Musings » Cranberry post? (November 21, 2007 @ 8:32 pm )