Call it naivety; a first timer’s lack of understanding. Colleagues laughed when we told them we would be scheduling down-time for our family during our mini-furlough, so we could recharge and rest for the next chapter God has for our family atGraceInternationalSchool. “You won’t have a moment’s rest”, we were told. We would need a vacation to recover from our trip. Or would we? God knows the desires of our hearts. He knows what we need, even better than we do. The challenges of this past year brought us to new levels of stress and stretched us as we have never experienced before. So, as we chat with friends on Day 6, only slightly jet lagged still, we have, indeed, spent a week of rest, prayer, devotions, and quiet time, taking in the beauty of God’s amazing creation. No insane schedule, no running from event to event. Although we look forward to connecting with friends this month, God has indeed blessed us with an amazing Week 1.
Exodus 33:14 says “And He said, ‘My presence shall go with you, and I will give you rest.’” It is so easy to allow our circumstances in life to consume us. Even the best of intentions can, if unchecked, lead to busy-ness and bring us to that point of exhaustion. We need to be acutely aware of our boundaries and know when we are reaching our limit. More importantly, we need to be willing to step back, regroup, even take time to rest. If you are feeling overwhelmed, stressed, strung out by life, take a moment, pull away for a bit, and rest in the arms of your Heavenly Father. There you will find His presence, and there He will give you rest.