Rest
Our little family just returned from our yearly, New England vacation. We do the same things every summer; swim in the lake, have campfires, eat lobster rolls and generally pretend that we don't have a real life full of crumbling mantles, rush hour traffic and a room dedicated primarily to tossing the laundry when we can't fold it in time.
There's almost something sacred about swimming at dusk, watching the little minnows weave in and out of your toes as the sun sets at your back. The White Mountains are carpeted with pine, and while most people associate it with the holidays, it has always smelled like summer to me.
But more than the beauty of our surroundings, our vacation gave us an opportunity to rest. To really, really rest. The kind where you feel tingly all the way down to your toes. When you find yourself remembering all of the things that gave you joy, and you begin to take joy in the little things you had long forgotten about. Because we were so rested we were able to process some pretty large events that occurred over the last few months. We were able to encourage one another. We were able dream again- big dreams with no scope or box, because we were filled anew with hope.
God knew that hope always follows rest. That's why it's mandated for us to do it. It get hard to locate hope if there is no energy to uncover it.
I can count on my hand the few times I've actually, really rested and have been surprised that it has taken me this long to figure out why I'm always a little dry on hope.
I know how hard it is to rest, to really rest. For Mamas, its nearly impossible. But it's necessary. I encourage you to carve a time and place where you can find rest and peace. To pray. To drink a glass of wine. To call a friend. To do nothing at all. We all need to rest.