Day 61: Power Napping

The Lord is good, a stronghold in a day of distress; he cares for those who take refuge in him. Nahum 1:7

Our little family has recently faced a busier-than-usual season—actually a tad too busy—for both avoidable and unavoidable reasons (despite years of therapy, saying “no” still isn’t my strong suit, but my counselor has assured me that I’m showing steady signs of improvement!). However, one night when I got home from Atlanta and knew I had gobs to do before leaving again at 6:30 a.m. the next morning for a flight to Oklahoma, I felt that little nudge to pause for a moment, and—miracle of miracles!—I listened. I stopped and took the time to sit on the deck and hum worship songs while watching a storm roll in as Missy watched her favorite animated movie on her iPad, happily sprawled right beside me.

What I’ve discovered after being a burn-the-candle-at-both-ends kind of girl for decades is that God and others-oriented priorities can sometimes preempt the rarely attainable goal of balance. Furthermore, the length and location of whatever “respite” looks like for us isn’t nearly as important as the Who we lean into during long seasons or short moments of soul care. If you’re like me and would rate yourself as a slow learner in the subject of calendar margins (or maybe you’re a single parent with one too many legitimate responsibilities who’d like to kick the next person who lectures you about carving out “me time” squarely in the shins!), may I encourage you to throw whatever breadcrumbs of time and energy you have on the calm waters of Christ’s sufficiency?

Let’s all pray for divine wisdom to know what to say yes to and what to say no to in light of what’s actually in accordance with God’s plan and purpose for our particular life. But let’s also endeavor to enjoy more catnaps in the tender, restorative arms of our Creator-Redeemer when we’ve got too much on our plate to enjoy a complete hibernation!

• How would you define a mini-vacation with God?
• When’s the last time you took one?
• In the next week or month, what slivers of time could you dedicate to resting in the Lord?