Small Rhythms Over Audacious Goals
A few weeks into the new year, I began to feel behind. It’s not that my goals have gone down the drain. I know better than to set lofty ones. It’s more that I didn’t have enough time before the new year to map out how to implement the small rhythms I chose over audacious goals.
I meant to clean through the 943 emails accumulated over Christmas break before the kids returned to school, but that never happened. I tried and got discouraged every time my cursor hung over the delete button, only to watch more emails come through.
Even if I deleted them, I’d inevitably receive another email from our daughter’s choir teacher with new performance dates and information about yearbook pictures. Or the realtor would send another listing, and I’d receive another to notify me to add lunch money to one of the kid’s accounts.
Days before Christmas, I landed in bed with chills, a fever and a sore throat. With gifts still to be wrapped and cookies to be baked, my lack of energy demanded I let it all go. The holidays went on, and memories were still made. It was a freeing reminder. So, after I started feeling better, I voluntarily let go of a few more things. I was excited to take this newfound me into the new year.
Then I opened my email, and my vacuum cleaner broke. Our toddler, who had just started finally sleeping through the night, stopped, and I got sick again.
“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gently and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls” (Matthew 11:28-29 ESV).
I decided to write this verse on an index card. At first, I was going to stick it on my bathroom mirror, but then I began to carry it around with me. It sat next to the sink as I washed dirty dishes, on the dryer as I started another load of laundry and on my dashboard as I picked kids up from school. Even with the best email clean-out programs and rhythms wrapped with the best intentions, I needed the reminder that only One can give me rest when I feel like I can’t catch up.
It’s easy to chase the illusion that if I could just get on top of things, I would feel less stressed, burdened, overwhelmed and capable of being more present. But this nagging desire reminds me of my false sense of control and self-reliance.
Can you relate?
We know it’s Jesus who provides the rest our souls need, but it’s easy to look elsewhere when it comes to the underlying angst in our day-to-day. Rhythms, routines, goals and learning to let go are good but will always be insufficient.
When the baby wakes, rest in Him.
When the dishwasher breaks, rest in Him.
When you regret snapping at your spouse, rest in Him.
When the house is a mess, rest in Him.
May our limitations lead us to Christ.
What is one thing you can do this week to remind yourself to rest in Him?
Sarah Nichols is a writer who loves encouraging women by sharing hope-filled stories that point others to Jesus. She lives in Tucson, AZ, with her husband and four kids. You can find more from Sarah at http://sarahnicholswrites.com.
