Rest Surrounded by Word

Lead a quiet and tranquil life in all devotion and dignity. // 1 Timothy 2:2

I run a small business from home and am a homeschooling mother, so I don’t leave my work “at the office,” ever. My “to-do” list bleeds from one day to the next. Something is always unfinished: housework, emails, in-progress writing projects, papers to be graded, grocery lists to be made.

And somehow I’m supposed to rest on the Sabbath and lead a tranquil life as Saint Paul wrote to Timothy (see 1 Timothy 2:2).

Lord, how do I find rest when work is all around?

Maybe you can relate to the feeling that all the balls will drop if you hit the pause button to rest. Maybe you feel like Sunday is “the only day to get x, y, z done” because every other day is maxed out with appointments, errands, and urgent tasks.

Instead of fully resting on Sunday, instead of surrendering to the gift of quiet and no work, I sometimes feel stir-crazy and anxiously await the end of the day so I can attack the to-do list all over again.

Even when night falls, I sit in bed far past my bedtime, typing—not resting or even praying a nightly examen. I prolong my exhaustion to get something else on my to-do list done, striving too long and hard for a sense of self-accomplishment. A whisper from the Holy Spirit unveils this scene from another angle: I’m rejecting the gift of rest that the Lord has given me.

Oooof. Guilty as charged.

I don’t need to hustle and get more done. Delaying sleep throughout the week and working on Sunday in favor of completing one more silly task (which the Lord probably hasn’t asked of me) is fruitless. In fact, it may be hurting me by drawing me away from the life of tranquility and devotion He has invited me to live.

How might the Lord be nudging you to set aside your to-dos and find rest in Him today? Ask the Holy Spirit to guide you and to increase your devotion to Our Lord.

Find rest in Him today. // Gina FenstererClick to tweet

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About Gina Fensterer

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Gina Fensterer is a wife of 20 years and mother of six children. She is passionate about finding God in the ordinary moments of her vocation. She loves Adoration, praying with Scripture, long morning walks, and fitness. She was a contributing author to And Hay Became Holy and our children's devotional prayer book called Rise Up. Read more by her here.