Alone ... to a quiet place...to rest?

“…He said to them, ‘Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.’” Mark 6:31b

This was the scripture attached to a devotional I try and read daily...."come...by myself"?...."for rest"??
Now that....that sounds just downright glorious...except that I am my own worst enemy.

I really have no one to blame...it's quite easy to get caught up in ... well... getting "caught up".

My daily schedule is full of routine.  Mostly so my charges don't implode at the mere suggestion of something not totally expected.   It's busy.   Just.  Busy.    There are lots of days I look back and truly question what it is I have accomplished despite being "busy".

Today is a good example....it was the first day of school around here.   The culmination of many hours of planning and scheduling, organizing and assigning.    By 8:30 am. I was determined to be on track and all seven of the schooling children would be hard at it.    It worked... and within 20 minutes one had cried, one had refused, one had dished a very healthy load of attitude and one was pouting.   The other three were probably being excellent students but somehow I was more wound up in the "challenge".  

We persevered and defeated the work of the day!   Yay!!!   I'd like to take credit for some of this but to be honest I have been recently reminded I surely don't do this on my own and the glory is definitely directed at the ONE who holds me up .... (often by the armpits I'm sure as I go kicking and screaming into another challenge)   :)

So my whole attitude adjustment that was to include giving it all to God as I enter another day is working thus far....but today I was convicted as I read my morning study that perhaps this sense of "needing" to be busy is something I should think of giving up all together.   I'm sure it's an addiction in some weird way...the inability to sit down in a day is not normal....is it?    Perhaps I'm too far gone....I wonder...

Ah not so....just a little in need of a kick in the pants to remember how it is I am to recharge the battery in order to function at my best in my role around here.    

Surely a little "sit" wouldn't hurt.   I little quiet place to rest..... 



This isn't exactly what I had in mind ... but believe me I'd try it if I thought it would work!!

So....even though.....the pharmacy is late filling the boys' prescriptions (these are important!!)....one child insists on testing my unconditional love as a mother while sitting visibly pining over a picture of his birth mom (in rebellion to correction)...I'm reminded by a well meaning child it's time to dye my hair...mornings continue to challenge the safety of some just because it's ... well ... morning...I'm not baking enough because supper was the first they hadn't had a treat all week...there are no more suckers left in the cupboard and .... not everyone likes what is prepared for supper....EVER....

We are all called to come alone and ....rest......

It's perfectly impossible reasonable to have a moment of non-business in a day ... purposely ... to handle all of the above.... says me....now I'll try and put it into practice!! 

(This has absolutely nothing to do with this post but I couldn't help myself....It was back to school picture morning and he had to be included!! )