Resting is H.A.R.D. Can I get an amen?!
I'm realizing that it is a constant challenge for me to cultivate healthy rhythms in my life, especially time for rest & renewal. This is a lesson that I'm constantly having to learn: SCHEDULE REST OR YOU WILL BURNOUT!
Lately lots of people in my life have been asking me this question: "What are you doing on a regular basis to implement self-care?"
As a servant in personality as well as profession, it's a hard question for me to answer. But it is one that I've been meditating on for quite some time now. Clearly God is trying to tell me something!
Well, this week Embracing Rest has come quite easily... thanks to the boondocks of NorthWest Montana & my parent's amazing sanctuary at High Meadow Ranch. Here, I am pretty much forced to unplug & relax. There's no cellphone reception (literally a God-send for someone who is on call 24/7), my mom's MacBook is unusually slow & my iPhone gets a spotty wifi connection at best.
So unplug I did.
And rest I did.
Granted we had quite a few activities: horseback rides, a lovely hike in Glacier National Park, and rounding up the cows for the winter months. But for the most part this week was one of much needed rest.
Sleeping in past 7(!), lying on the couch in front of the fire with a hilarious book, playing dominoes & card games, drinking my fair share of wine, and eating to my heart's content. There have been few (if any) worries & I can literally feel myself unwinding.
Earlier in August I was bummed because my family was all here in Montana & due to a busy Summer, I wasn't able to join them. That week, while certainly fun, would not have been a restful one. And so I sit here, with the full knowledge that God knew what He was doing when He blessed me abundantly with clients in July, August, & September & then gave me most of October off.
He knew I'd need this time to disconnect.
He knew I'd need the chilly weather that would allow me to curl up with a blanket & hot cocoa in front of a roaring fire.
He knew I'd need a limited amount of people in order to allow the introvert in me to really recharge.
He knew it all.
Embracing Rest is becoming more & more important in my increasingly busy & stressful life. I'm glad that God is constantly bringing it into my conversations and into my reality... even if He does have to force it once &
