"Take a day off? I don't even take a morning off."
"I haven't ordered dessert in two years."
"You know that best-selling book everyone loves? I haven't read it."
"I haven't watched TV since last summer. Hey, I've been busy."
(stated by Olympic athletes on a commercial)
I posted this as my Facebook status yesterday because I love the inspiration of that commercial. A friend hadn't seen that commercial, and while reading the statements she assumed they must have come from a devotional for moms. "Many mothers can say those same things, LOL," she replied to my post.
My three boys plus two friends happily cleaning up their mess
I hadn't thought of it, but she is absolutely right. So far today: I got up to go to the gym at 5:20 after five whole hours of sleep. I came home and tried to squeeze in some quiet time, but my youngest was already babbling and threatening to wake his brothers who sleep in the same room, so I brought him out to feed him breakfast. I was able to finish some reading but started nodding off, so I decided to take a power nap on the recliner while the other boys were sleeping in. They woke me up soon enough. Then a friend dropped off her 3-year-old and 1-year-old; I offered to watch them so she could attend the funeral of man who was the husband of a mutual friend. All the kids have made the boys' bedroom look like a tornado passed through, and apparently creating a tornado uses a lot of energy because they are all hungry for a snack. I need to get everything ready for a spa party tonight, make some phone calls, fold laundry, do dishes, prepare dinner, sort about $1,800 in products and get them bagged and ready to deliver, and squeeze in taking the boys to a friend's apartment so they can swim for a bit this afternoon. When we return, I'll cause a tornado of my own as I shower and finish making dinner before grabbing a few bites of it and rushing out the door to go pamper some ladies and share products, education, and a fun time with them. I'm sure when I get home I won't be able to keep myself from watching the Olympics, which I love to watch but have been keeping me up late. Exhausted, I'll fall into bed around midnight or 12:30.
And I'm not even a truly busy mom, obviously, since I have time to write this while the kids snack on some Cheerios and draw pictures. But I am one of many moms who needs rest and doesn't usually get enough of it. Jesus said, "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest" (Matthew 11:28). I know some moms of young children who might be tempted to laugh and say, "Yeah, right!"
I have experienced that rest, and it isn't always physical. Sometimes I just need to sit down, take some deep breaths, and surrender my anxiety, frustration, irritation, and schedule to the Lord. I can get overwhelmed by so many things with children, husband, and team members looking to me for love, assistance, guidance, help, and demands. If I don't leave my burdens with the Lord, I will have unrest in my soul and go through my day growing increasingly stressed, overwhelmed, and negative. I won't have anything beneficial to pour out for others and may in fact cause more harm than good to those around me. I know my own limitations, and my well does not run deep. Yet when I look to Jesus, He fills me with his boundless stream of love that naturally pours over the brim and out to water the world around me, too. I am refreshed; my family is nurtured; I have encouragement to offer to others; and I wonder at how smoothly my day unfolded.
Early this week I talked to my dad for a few minutes as we were plotting my mom's birthday gift from him. We were wrapping up the conversation when he added nonchalantly, "I prayed for you to have the spirit of Mary this morning." I halted in my busy footsteps, totally taken off guard as I got a mental picture of Mary sitting at Jesus' feet, listening, completely enraptured, while her sister Martha scurried around trying to prepare food for all the guests and whining that Mary wasn't helping. "You have a lot to do and can tend to be like Martha, so I prayed for you to have a heart like Mary's," added my dad. I was stunned and grateful. He knows me well. He didn't know, however, that a couple of years ago I read a book called Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World or that it spoke to me so deeply that I bought the follow-up book, Having a Mary Spirit. I never got around to reading the second one, though. Maybe it is time. Mary chose the better part, and I haven't been making the same choice lately.
I want -- no, I need -- to allow God's love to overwhelm me, rather than allowing my work in or out of the home to overwhelm me. When was the last time I felt not just satisfied but overwhelmed with God's love? It has been too long, and that means I'm not spending enough time in His presence. That is where I need to go when I am weary and burdened, and I will find rest. Evidence of His love surrounds me. I just need to open my eyes and focus on Him.