Mother’s Day is for all of us, whether you are a biological mom or not. Whether you are a god mommy, stepmom, auntie, teacher, mentor or coach, you play a vital role in the lives of our children. They say it takes a village but we are not just a village. We are a family of believers committed to helping raise the next generations in the fear and admonition of the Lord. I thank God for every one of you. You are needed more than ever!
We know that motherhood is not for the faint of heart. Let’s face it, it is a blessing. We love and thank God for our children. Yet, it is the most difficult job we will ever have and it is a lifelong job. You are a mom for life!
One thing I have learned is the importance of rest. God has been making me very aware of the value of rest over the last few years. Unfortunately, old habits die hard so He has to remind me when I slip back into my old ways. Our culture celebrates performance, striving, and “the hustle.” While God says rest.
In vain you rise early
and stay up late,
toiling for food to eat—
for he grants sleep to those he loves. Psalm 127:2
He says there is no need to strive and make ourselves crazy trying to do everything in our own strength when He is all that we need. He is our Provider, our Healer, our Strength and our Restorer. He is the Creator of the Universe, yet oh so mindful of us and our every need.
Psalm 121:1-2 says:
I lift my eyes to the mountains where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of Heaven and earth.
And Psalm 8:3-4:
When I consider your heavens,
the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars,
which you have set in place,
what is mankind that you are mindful of them,
human beings that you care for them?
He cares for His daughters and He wants us to rest.
We must remember to build rest into the rhythm of our lives. It is not a luxury. It is not optional. It is a necessity. We have heard time and time again that we cannot pour from an empty vessel. Rest refreshes us, recharges and replenishes us so we can do what needs to be done. We do it from a place of rest, not hurry, not stress, not anxiety and worry, but rest. And where does true rest come from? Not just physical rest but rest for our souls? True rest can only come from God. He is the Source of rest.
Many times we are looking to God to change our situations. We have heard people say, “fix it Jesus.” The problem is, or what we don’t usually like is that God doesn’t always fix the situation because He wants to fix us first. The “fixing” begins with us seeking the Lord and asking Him to walk with us through our day. Going to Him and surrendering our cares and believing in His goodness and faithfulness to see us through is what brings peace in difficult circumstances. He is the Fixer of all things. He can restore anything that we surrender into His loving hands. First, we must fully surrender ourselves. Surrender and rest in Him.
Resting in His presence helps us to hear Him over the noise of the world. Resting in His presence gives us time to recharge before we dive into our daily tasks. Resting in His presence is a time to seek His wisdom to make the best decisions about what is most important. We can do all the things and miss an opportunity for God to direct our steps. We can do many good things but miss the God thing. We are so busy making things happen in our own strength, the Holy Spirit has no room to move in our lives and help us grow. Rest needs to be a priority. Seeking the Lord and resting, that is how the fixing, the transforming, the pruning and the maturing in Christ takes place. We cannot be too busy to make resting in Jesus our highest priority.
We need to take a page from Mary’s book. Remember the sisters, Mary and Martha? Let’s go to the Word, Luke chapter 10, verses 38-42:
As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!”
“Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”
Now I am not saying that there is not a time to be Martha. We know that things have to get done, lots of things, all the time. But where do we get the strength to do all these things? From our Lord and Savior. We can do nothing apart from Him. Sitting at His feet like Mary, worshipping Him and soaking in the Word gives us the sustaining power to achieve all that we need to accomplish. He gives us just what we need for each day.
He wants us to come to Him. He wants His daughters to rest in Him, to abide in Him and His Word. When our children see us doing this they will learn to do it, as well. We will raise the next generations to seek the wisdom of God over the wisdom of the world. When we seek the wisdom of God, He gives it to us generously, as it says in James chapter 1. His wisdom is far better than anything this world can teach us.
The fixing begins with seeking the Lord, resting in Him, meditating on His Word, asking for His wisdom and walking in His love. How can we do what He asks us to do, love Him with all our heart, soul, strength and mind and love our neighbor as ourselves if we do not spend time in His presence? How can we live according to His will without spending time in His Word? Our God invites us to come to Him, to rest in Him and to have an intimate relationship with Him. When we do this, even when a particular situation doesn’t get fixed the way that we think it should, we are able to be content and at peace. When we stay connected to the vine, abiding in Him and aligning with His Word, allowing the Holy Spirit to do His work in and through us, we will bear much fruit. He has work for us to do and He needs us to be rested and rooted in Him, and in His word, to empower and equip us to fulfill His plans and purposes for our lives.
Rest in His presence.
Get rooted in His Word.
Experience His Peace.
Walk in His love.
This is the fixing by the Greatest Fixer there ever was and ever will be.
“Fix it Jesus” begins with us wanting to be fixed.
Rest, and allow Him to work.
Rest, knowing God is faithful to His promises.
Rest, knowing we are His. He loves us. We don’t have to strive.
Cease striving to be the perfect mom. It’s not possible. But you already have the perfect Father.
Rest in Him.
Written by Lanette Black! Lanette is a women’s ministry leader, writer and intercessor!
