DAY 8: REST WELL

“My soul finds rest in God alone; my salvation comes from Him.” Psalm 62:1

When I was dancing full-time, the best rest for me after a weekend of performing or a day of rehearsing included a heating pad on my back, feet up, and ice packs on my calves. I had to get off my swollen, red feet….to take the pressure off…to help them feel normal after intense rehearsals or performances in pointe shoes.

As a mom of three sons, the best rest for me is a hot bath after getting them to bed, feet up (not much has changed) and watching an episode of Dancing with the Stars or a good sitcom with my hubby and then diving into a good book (I really only last 10 minutes tops reading my book) and then crashing out for a good night’s sleep.

God designed us for rest…for times of nothing…times of not feeling guilty for not accomplishing anything…times to recharge, times to refuel, times to just be.

But He also designed our souls to need a different type of rest…

resting in Him.

Resting in Him can sound like we have to DO something…like pray, read our Bible, or go to church. And those are awesome things, but really, resting in Him, is more of a state of our souls that we can live from…a quiet strength that stems from a deep knowing that our God has us, loves us, and is guiding us.

We rest in Him even as we go about our busy lives. Our hearts can know rest when we know Christ. But finding that sense of rest takes time getting to know our Rest-Giver. As we curl up close to Him by spending time with Him and inviting Him into the details of our day…our souls grow restful…our hearts feel His peace….we experience real, true soul-rest.

Christmas is an especially fun time of year with so many fun things going on. It’s my favorite time of year! But in the pace of it all, may we remember to rest well…to stop, to pause, to notice…to breathe in God’s presence, His gifts, and His grace throughout the season. May Christmas point our hearts to His rest….a rest we can know all year long….the best kind of rest. Sweet daughter of Christ, know this today…God has you, loves you, and is guiding you…He delights over you.

Praying you get moments to soak in His presence, of course put your feet up, and most of all…to KNOW the rest of Christ. He came down from heaven to offer you rest for your heart and soul.

Prayer: “Sweet Lord, thank You for the rest you offer. May I take You up on it by keeping You as my focus this Christmas season. Help me believe that You have me, love me, and are guiding me.”