Summer Rest

Summer is here and lost are the rhythms of life that have been in place since last September. I had mixed feelings about the summer coming. Hopeful for more restful days, but a little nervous as the energy of my three children all day long seemed wearing. As we planned for our summer, my husband and I made the intentional choice to schedule very little. We wanted to make sure we were available to enjoy as much time as possible with my family, specifically my mother, who faces a disease incurable, fast moving, and terminal. So, here we are, June is behind us and I am full on into our “restful summer.”

Ha. Ha. Ha. Restful? I’m weary. I’m worn down. I’m easily frustrated and my patience is thin. The children whine. They grow restless. They tell me they are bored. They argue passionately with each other over things not worth much. This is hard.

As my husband and I have dabbled in trying for more rest over the past year or two and tried to create slower rhythms for Sundays and more dedicated slow family time, we have struggled. What does rest really look like? My hope is that our children learn rest better than I did and understand why our Father created us for rest, why it’s critical, and the joy from it.

I asked my spouse the other evening, “are we making the right choice? Is it worth this colossal effort?" The days are long and hard, but I have begun to notice small wonders in the midst of unscheduled time. I am beginning to recognize how God moves in the intricate, the slow, and the space. It seems like when the busy days come, there is not the energy and time put into my children learning to care for one another, choosing the other instead of themselves, and real apologies to each other. Maybe adults are the same. As we rest more and embrace a life where rest has a firm place in the rhythm of life, maybe we are more able to care for each other, see each other as God sees us, and move out of who He has created us to be. I’m hopeful. As I write this, I hear my children beginning to argue. Deep sigh.

I’m going to keep hoping. I know that more unscheduled time does not equal rest. But, it does feel like more space gives more opportunities for rest. So, I’m going for it. I’m taking lots of deep breaths and praying for the fruit of the Spirit to reign (very specifically for self control and patience). I’m hoping and praying that the hot, humid, stormy days of this summer so far encourage a slower pace for each of you and that God invades that space reminding us that He created rest and longs for us to experience real, true, deep rest.

written by: Jennifer Coggins