Rest? Honest Observations

@ Michelle Lyzenga

Rest. This photo taken by my talened friend Michelle Lyzenga invites me to a place of rest. I long to grab my Bible, journal, and a mug of hazelnut coffee and settle in for some time with God interspersed with watching birds and other wildlife.

There are certain places I go for rest. Often it’s a place of escape. Our friends have a cabin we have rented at least four times — the last half hour of the drive, I can feel myself physically relax. That is priceless. And one that leaves me selfishly hoping they’ll never sell.

Sometimes I find rest in a friend. That special someone who knows me. Intimately. This person can call me when I’m just wrong. She loves me when I’m unlovable. She laughs with me, cries with me, loves classic movies with me. Is always there when I need a listening ear. Or just to be together. Those friendships are priceless and a place of safety and rest.

Sometimes that rest is found with my children. In a giggle. A cuddle. The pause to read a book. The break to play a game. The time in a car serving as a taxi yet again. All too soon these moments will end. So when I am aware and intentional, I rest in those moments because too soon they’ll be gone.

But God should always be my rest. I wish He was. I wish I could say honestly that each and every day I throw myself into a period of rest in His presence. I enjoy the Word with my kids. But time alone, just God and me, those are rare…fleeting…missed. Once again it gets added to the list. Another item to mark with a check, cross with a line, move to the next page. I want more. I long for more. I need more.

Where do you find rest?