Permission to Rest { Embracing Rest :: Day 3 }

Dear Weary Momma,

I see you, waking to the cries of your child and realizing the shower isn’t happening this morning. I see you, balancing a toddler on your hip while another life is growing in your belly. I see you carrying that laundry basket up and down those stairs each day, tackling the never-ending pile of dishes in your sink. I see you carefully create breakfast, lunch, dinner and healthy snacks for grabbing hands all day long.

I see you tuck your babies in at night and pray over them. I see you, as you leave their rooms and get back to work. I see how you pick up the house and catch up on things you didn’t get to do during the day. I see you listen to your husband as he tells you about his day, see you engage him in conversation so he knows you love him.

I see you as you fall into bed at night, exhausted from the day, praying for a night without interruptions. I see you as you relive the hours before, regretting that time you snapped instead of soothed, those thoughts of escape or just a nap, the list of things you didn’t finish.

I see you, looking at the days ahead, growing even more weary, as you see endless days without rest. You tell yourself it will be worth it, one day, but you honestly aren’t sure how you’ll get there.

Weary momma, I see you. Even more, I know you. I know your heart for your family and your high standards for yourself.

But momma? I need you to know that you are harder on yourself than I am on you. I need you to know that I do not expect you to continue on at that pace without a break. I need you to know that I want to give you that rest.

More than anything, I desire to be the place you find rest. But, momma, you have to let yourself come to Me.

The one holding you back from rest is not your home, your kids, or your husband. It’s you. You stand in your own way, with your unrealistic standards and your drive for perfection. You want to be everything to your family, and in doing so, you forget to care for yourself.

Slow down, momma. Your family will carry on if that load of dishes goes unwashed. What’s more, your family needs you to rest. They need the best version of you, not this worn-out, bone-weary momma.

So give yourself the permission to rest that I’ve already given you. Then, come to Me, and I will refresh you.

You’ll be amazed. By giving yourself permission to rest, you’ll be able to return to your family renewed and energized, the kind of momma you want to be.

Trust me, daughter. And allow yourself the rest you so desperately need.

Love,
Your Heavenly Father

Today I’m also over at Allume writing about Embracing Rest as a Writer. Won’t you join me there too?

To see the other posts in this series, just click here or on the image above!