5 Days of Making Time for Mom – Time to Rest
5 Days of Making Time for Mom – Time for Rest
Thanks for joining me today for my 5 Days of Making Time for Mom series. This week we’re looking at different ways to make time for yourself so that you can avoid burnout. Yesterday I talked about how to make time for love. Today we’re talking about making time to rest.
What does Rest Look Like for a Mom?
I'm sure you're thinking, that's great if you don't have little kids! While it is nice to have days where you do absolutely nothing, the rest I'm talking about is a ceasing from working. So everything that is on your "to-do" list, written down in your bullet journal, or sticky noted on your fridge needs to be set aside for rest.
There is honestly never enough time in the day to complete all the tasks on a mom's plate. Sure, you try to delegate and get efficient with your time, but God has designed us to rest. So we must.
The Importance of Rest
The concept of a Sabbath from the Old Testament is not antiquated or out of date. All of the appliances in our lives that are supposed to give us more time for other endeavors just create a hurried soul that can't slow down.
Rest Cultivates Relationships
What can you do while you're not working? Enjoy one another. It's a simple concept, yet one of the things that separates so many families today is the fact that everyone is always working, and no one has time for relationships. Rest to build relationships!
Rest Cultivates Energy
When you're always going, going, going, you find yourself always tired. Naps seem like the only option. However, giving your body a little down time is wonderful for your health. If you're not exhausted all the time, you can make better decisions on eating, exercise, and sleep. Rest is vital for the stamina you'll need to finish the course of raising children.
Rest Cultivates Faith
When we put down our to-do list, we're saying that we trust God to meet our needs. It's really easy to get self dependent upon providing everything your family needs. We're not capable of that, however, and we can get burnt out real quickly if we put ourselves as "provider" in God's place. Resting shows our humility in saying we are finite beings that need rest.
When to Find Rest in Your Week
The obvious answer is Sunday, as that is typically seen as the "day of rest". I think the challenge here is if your family works at a church, Sunday can be the least restful day of the week. Thankfully, if you're a homeschooling family, you can adjust your week to find rest on another day.
The point is to take a day where you cease from "getting things done". Enjoy the Lord, enjoy each other, and rest. It's a simple way to take time as a mom to be refreshed. Even though you're always trying to find an extra hour in every day, giving up 24 hours will multiply the time you have on the other days. God's economy doesn't work like man's. It's miraculous.
Some Great Books to Read on the Subject:
How do you make time to rest?
Other posts in this series:
This post is part of a great linkup and hopscotch with iHomeschoolNetwork.
Join in the fun!
Betsy Strauss is an unexpected homeschooler, mother of three, who is in a relationship with a sweet man for life. She loves reading books, drinking coffee, and learning anything with her kids.