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31 Days of Rest Archives - Imperfect Homemaker

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How I Began My Journey from Overwhelmed to Rested

My journey from overwhelmed to rested | @mbream

 

I'm not sure of the exact moment I began feel the weight of being overwhelmed lifting – it has been such a gradual process – but I know there are some very definitive milestones that have made a noticeable difference in my emotional state.

The first was when I began to meditate frequently on this quote by Jim Elliot, the missionary who was martyred in the jungles of Ecuador:

“Wherever you are, be all there! Live to the hilt every situation you believe to be the will of God.”

Wherever you are, be all there. | How I went from Overwhelmed to Rested @mbream
I was struggling to do everything, to be everything, and to do it all for everyone.

Instead I needed to learn to live in the moment.

The key to living in the moment was to be sure what I was doing in that moment was the will of God.

At the end of the day, there may be a lot of good things left undone, but I can mentally release myself from the guilt of unaccomplished tasks knowing that I've put my heart and soul into every circumstance that God had planned for me that day.

And I'm learning to not even live the moments that are not God's will for me.

Although the quote is not from Scripture, God has been using it to direct my mind to Scripture many times throughout the day.  If I am truly going to live in the will of God, I must be in tune with his desires for me moment by moment.

It has brought me:
1. An increased awareness of God's presence and direction for even the smallest decisions
2. Better awareness of how I am using my time

The result of both of those has been to find more peace in my home.

Awareness of God's presence gives peace to my soul.

Better time management increases the atmosphere of peace in my home.

The house stays more tidy.
I am more mentally present and in tune to my husband's and children's needs.
I am more aware of my own needs, including simple things like eating enough food at meals.

All of this because of a simple quote, but I believe the Spirit's calling it to my remembrance was a direct answer to prayer in helping me begin my journey to rest.

I hope as you meditate on all of its implications, it will be as much of a help to you as it has been to me.

 

 

An Invitation to Rest

31 Days of Intentional Rest

 

October is a big month in the blog world.  Many bloggers participate in a 31 day writing challenge where they will blog for 31 days straight about one topic.

I've done it before and it's quite profitable from a blogging perspective – you get a lot of content added to your blog, you can use that content as the core for a new book, you get a lot of new followers who are interested in your topic, etc.

However…

This year, my body, my mind, and my spirit are in dire need of rest.  Obligating myself to sit down and write every day is not what I need in this season.  Don't get me wrong – I love to write and it refreshes me. But when other responsibilities are pressing, my body does not need the pressure of being forced to get up early or stay up late to fit writing into my schedule too.

 

I have a feeling I'm not alone in my need for rest.

 

The demands of life press in from all sides whether you're a blogger or not.

Perhaps your brain feels like it might explode any second from all the things you're trying to keep straight.
Perhaps your house is hopelessly messy and you just can't get back on top of things no matter how hard you try.
Perhaps circumstances beyond your control are leaving you feeling worried and stressed.

 

When Jesus' disciples were insanely busy, hardly able to keep their heads above water with all the demands on their time, he called them to come apart and rest awhile.

 That's what I'm inviting you to do.

I'm setting aside the entire month of October as a chance to simply rest, and I'd love to have you join me.

 

The computer will stay off most of the time.  I'll be actively looking for ways to simplify life at home.  I'll be going to bed earlier.  I'll be spending more time in my pj's with my nose in a good book.

For the most part, I won't be blogging, but…I do have a few things planned.  I have a few posts for sponsors that I already had on the schedule.  I'll also write when I have free moments and I feel like writing is what would be most refreshing for me at the moment.

Although I will will be concentrating on resting rather than writing, I still want to share some ideas with you on how to find rest.

Resting is about so much more than going to bed earlier (although that's important too!)

It's about decluttering our minds from the extra baggage bumping around that won't allow us a moment of silence inside our brain. 

It's about defeating the hopelessness that we feel when the demands of life seem impossible to meet. 

It's about learning to think the right things and do the right things so that we can kick the constant feeling of being overwhelmed out of our lives.

I've been studying a lot about the Biblical concept of rest and I am bursting with things to share with you!  Therefore, as I feel it is appropriate for my own life, I will be trickling out some posts for you as well as quite a few goodies that I think you're going to love.

 

Are you constantly burdened with a feeling of being overwhelmed?

Are you physically tired all the time?

Is your mind constantly overloaded with no sign of slowing down?

Are your emotions a mess?

If you answered yes to any of the above, consider this your invitation to join me for a season of rest.

If you already subscribe to my regular email list, you'll want to go ahead and sign up separately here because I'll be sending out emails specifically for the season of rest.

I hope you'll join me!