Hey there!

I have a confession to make. Most of the time I don’t know when I need to rest, or I know I need to rest but I just keep going. It drives my husband bananas, y’all! Chores, emails, cooking, shuffling through piles of school papers — I try to do it all.

At some point I hit a wall and slow down because I’m tired. It’s in those moments I find my husband staring at me saying, “Why don’t you take a break and get some rest? You’re exhausted.” How do I respond, though? I reassure him I’m “okay enough” to finish … yet ANOTHER five more things around the house.

Some days I get it all done; other days, I don’t. Either way, I’m left short-tempered and sluggish the days after. Why? For every one thing I knock off my to-do list, three more show up in its place! It’s never-ending, and rest just never seems to come.

That’s why what grabs my attention most from our reading this week is what Jennifer Rothschild had to say about surrender. In Psalm 23: The Shepherd with Me, she writes:

“There is a direct link between our surrender to God and the rest we receive from God.”

Jennifer’s so right! When I don't surrender to God's leading, rest never seems to come and I end up exhausted. Every. Single. Time. Perhaps you too?

It’s hard to admit that, but here’s the good news: Remember the “sheep signals” Jennifer talks about in the Day 3 bookwork? Those things that let us know we’re doing too much? Hope is hiding in those signals! Like Jennifer teaches, God uses them to get our attention and tell us we need rest. We just need to listen.

For me, isolation is my first signal. I pull away, talk less and think more. It’s weird, but during those hectic times, I stop asking for help, too. (I guess trying to do things on my own is a theme for me! Ha!) I don’t want to do any of that anymore, though. I want to learn to pause, pray and ask God to help me surrender and rest.

I could use some company as I learn how to do just that. How about we journey through this together?

Let’s do it!
Brandy

Reflect and Respond:

Do you recognize your “sheep signals” (impatience, lack of joy, forgetfulness, crying, etc.) that tell you it’s time to rest? The last time those signals showed up in your life, what did you do? Did it lead you to rest or to something else?

Remember, all comments will be entered into this week’s giveaway!

You’re Invited!
Session 2 of our Psalm 23 Teaching Series is Thursday, September 12 at 11:30 a.m. ET. P31 author and speaker Wendy Pope will chat with us about “David in the Psalms." It’s not too late to add this optional series to your study experience!