#4 on WAYS TO SANE

make this #4 on the list of 3 ways stay sane….

 

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A few years ago one of my sisters mowed her yard on a Sunday.

 

What’s the big deal?

 

Well it wasn’t a HUGE deal but it was big enough.

 

We had gathered that evenin’ at mother’s, as we do every Sunday, served the herd of children and then scurried them out to play.

 

As our minds settled and we began to converse because we could then actually hear each other…we chit-chatted about this and that, the messages we had heard at our varied churches that morning, who napped that afternoon and who didn’t, when sister casually mentioned that she had mowed her yard.

 

“You mowed your yard? On Sunday?”

 

Without going in to detail,

 

one: because I can’t remember and

two: because I can’t remember…

 

What my sisters and I left mother’s with that night was this:

 

“Girls, respect and protect the day of rest. Sunday’s are to be set a part and should be treated differently.”

 

Recently some dear friends and I were enjoying a meal together at IF:Table (more IF news coming soon ..read about it HERE)

 

This question was posed,

 

“What do you do to encourage rest?”

 

Crickets.

 

When I remembered and shared the story of my sister, her yard, our momma’s gentle reminder and the changes that conversation brought about in my life.

 

Until that discussion around my momma’s table, I had treated Sunday as I had all of the other days with the exception that we squeezed church in. (And some days that’s exactly how it felt…”squeezed in”)

 

I regularly cleaned house after church, bought groceries, yada, yada, yada

 

Until momma watered that seed of truth that had been planted in my heart so long ago.

 

The story of Creation, the details of each day and finally,

 

God rested.

 

Momma reminded us to rest.

 

I might add, I was still working full time when the original conversation with my momma took place. I should also be very honest with you and say that I almost got defensive with my precious mother and her gentle reminder.

 

In my mind I thought,

 

Sure mother, that’s easy for you to say- you aren’t working full time and raising messy boys and living on a farm with manure of all shapes and sizes and RANK levels of nasty.

 

But instead, I listened, took her words home with me that evening and considered giving the idea of resting a try.

 

A few days later I talked with the cowboy about it all and surprisingly he agreed wholeheartedly with my mother.

 

“Rest on Sunday.  Yes.”

 

So we made a family plan and (somewhat) rearranged our Saturdays.

 

We made a conscious decision to be more intentional with our days.

 

Saturday mornings and afternoons would be spent mostly as they had been before, but instead of going out to eat on Saturday evenings we would to stay in, cook supper and do our house pick up then.

 

It didn’t take long before the new changes became routine.

 

Grocery shopping got moved to another day of the week, leaving Sunday afternoon open for rest.

 

It’s been a little over three years since we implemented the changes.

 

No regrets.

 

Two weeks ago I was gathered with some of those same sweet friends around the table when one spoke up to say,

 

“Hey, we’ve prioritized rest.   You wouldn’t believe the change resting on Sunday has brought about at my house! The whole feel of the day is better.”

 

Please note –>  Dear skeptics,

We are friends. I am a skeptic.

You say: “that’s all fine and Jim dandy for you, your family and friends but that won’t work for me.”

I beg of you,

Consider it. Try it.

 

Baby step into the change.

 

Talk with your family –try setting Sunday apart. If it goes well, try another.

 

Please know that I know ….there are special circumstances. We don’t live in fairy world (although often I pretend that I do) where all things are perfect and easy and right. Many of you are single parents, working parents, doing all you can do.

 

We SALUTE your commitment to work hard and provide for your family…

 

Some seasons of life are require more of us….

 

This season of life requires that we stop by our store on Sundays and water mums lest they die.

 

–> Dead flowers don’t sell.

 

Truth: If we do our very best to honor God, His word, His commandments…

 

He will not forsake us.

 

He is just and blesses those who follow Him in obedience.

 

Rest is hard.

 

 

Rest doesn’t happen without sacrifice.

 

Many of us (myself included) have GLORIFIED BUSY.

 

The truth is, rest is good.

 

Let me know how it goes dear friends … and PLEASE share with us ways you and your family make way for rest.

 

Praying you through the evenin’ my friends…

love you to the moon

PS- Blame INSTAGRAM for my lack of blog post this week!  I’m most recently obsessed with the the tiny squares full of creativity and inspiration I find there.