We met in person and I liked her immediately. She’s fun. She’s deep. She’s a really great listener.
She knows that rest doesn’t always come easy, and it is important to talk about that. We don’t all have the same life.
Meet my friend, Lori Schumaker. I know you’re going to love her. ~ Suzie
I see the weariness etched on your face.
Shadows lingering under your eyes and a slowness to your every step.
Sometimes you feel the weariness deep in your bones, don’t you? The blanketing fog makes thinking all the more difficult.
I know you want rest. You’re not wearing busyness as an adornment. But life circumstances hinder your options for rest right now.
Sometimes it’s true, rest doesn’t come easy.
I remember when I didn’t know how to find rest and when no one around me seemed to understand. “You need more rest,” they would tell me.
Yet they weren’t in my day-to-day to see what it entailed.
They didn’t know life as a new adoptive mama of a child with significant special needs. I couldn’t wrap my mind around our recently turned upside down world of doctors, therapists, specialists, and hospitals, much less expect others to understand.
It was something I had to learn. A season of preparation for the next leg of the journey. I think God was teaching me to fight for my . .
. . . daughter,
. . . family,
. . .marriage,
… and my rest.
I’m not sure of your life situation right now. Maybe it’s caring for a special needs child or an elderly parent. Maybe you are a newly single mom or you are navigating grief.
The possibilities are many and the struggle to find rest is real.
I wish I could tell you it’s as easy as getting away each day for some “you” time while securing eight hours of sleep and maintaining a healthy diet.
Yes, those are beneficial, but they don’t ease the heavy burden of your day-to-day. And friends, I get the reality of your life. Five-hour nights and pizza AGAIN might be your best right now.
How do we find rest when it doesn’t come easy?
1. We fight by leaning into the only One capable of filling our reservoirs.
Dig into His Word. Repeat His promises out loud and claim them one by one. Pray. Worship. Cry out to the Father. Whether it is 5 minutes or 5 hours, He honors our moments and hears our cries.
My presence shall go with you and I will give you rest.” – Exodus 33:14
2. We lose false guilt.
I learned there are times it is okay to reschedule the appointment in exchange for a moment of quiet. And it’s okay if things get missed, cancelled, or even if they momentarily fall apart. God knows our situation and He is there filling the gaps. He wants us mentally, physically, and spiritually whole.
For whenever our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and he knows everything. -1 John 3:20 ESV
We build a support system connecting us with others who have lived or are living a similar life circumstance. Knowing we are not alone breathes hope and life into our hearts.
[bctt tweet=”It’s okay if things get missed, or even if they momentarily fall apart. God knows our situation and He is there filling the gap. #livingfreetogether” username=”suzanneeller”]
Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. 10 For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up! –Ecclesiastes 4:9-10
3. We ask for help.
We were never created to do life without help, so don’t be afraid to ask.
When Moses’ father-in-law saw all that he was doing for the people, he said, “What is this that you are doing for the people? Why do you sit alone, and all the people stand around you from morning till evening?”-Exodus 18:14
Friends, your circumstances may not change, but you will. You will learn to give God your moments so He can multiply your rest. It took me awhile, and although I sometimes require ongoing recalibration, I learned and I know you will, too.
For now, I’m praying with and for you as you fight for rest, sweet sister.
Lori
Meet Lori
Lori is an encourager at heart. She has spent her life learning of the hope and victory available when we embrace our identity in Christ. Today, when she isn’t busy being a wife and Mom to her three children, she teaches, ministers, coaches, speaks, and writes to share that hope with others.
Wherever you find yourself today – walking through the difficult, needing to get unstuck to follow your purpose, or simply experiencing a season of beautiful chaos, Lori’s blog found at www.lorischumaker.com is a place where you can get a virtual hug from someone who truly understands.
You can also connect with her on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest.
Giveaway!
Leave a comment in today’s post to be entered to win this fun giveaway!
- Embrace a Moment Rest with Starlight by Bethel Music (worship cd)
- Max Lucado’s Book of Pocket Prayers
- Healing Solutions’ Lavender Essential Oil
Lori, clinging on the reminders of leaning into God, loosing guilt, and ask for help can help a weary heart find rest. Thank you for sharing your beautiful words and heart.
Thank you for sharing 🙂
Thank you Lori, much needed read this morning!
Exactly what I needed to hear today!
Such good news to hear! Thank you for joining the conversation!
Beautifully written. I am fighting through a depression and I know god is carrying me right now. I am 57 and a survivor of sexual abuse. Have had 10 years of therapy but during difficult situations take hold I get drug down the rabbit hole and find out there is still work to be done on loving my inner child. The more I love her the less anxiety and depressed I feel.
Thank you for your blog and all of the spiritual blogs that are posted. They bring me much comfort. I have often thought of writing one to help other survivors but then get scared to do it.
Lifting you up in prayer this morning Kim as .you walk through depression. I understand, I’ve been there and to be honest sometimes still feel depression pulling at my peace. Keep your eyes and heart focused on Jesus as he walks with you through every thought and emotion. I thank God for you today and am grateful.ul that even when we are home, possibly alone, he reaches out to us through amazing blogs such as this one!!
Nancy. Thank you so much for your encouraging words. Please accept me from this day forward as your sister in prayer. You will be in my prayers from this day forward along with everyone that needs healing. Your words and prayer have brought me comfort as I go through this.
Thank you sweet sistet, Kim, I appreciate you prayers and I knoe when i focus praying dor others God blesses me with more peace.
Thanks very much for this devotion. An old saying which comes to mind is “there no rest for the weary’. I like the verses in Isaiah 40:30-31 vs 31 b ” They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint. “Our burdens are lifted at Calvary.” Thanks for quoting the verses in Exodus and 1 John.
Thank you, Elsie, for joining the conversation. I’m thankful we can lean into the love and grace of Christ so that we don’t grow weary.
yes, we all need rest but even as a “senior citizen” with grown children I still have problems getting enough rest…. When I actually take the time to go to my prayer closet I am so refreshed! I know I need to go there more often but I know God understands!!!
Hi Vickie,
I think when we have that “doing” personality, it is not averted by age! It sticks and we tend to busy our lives no matter our age! Praying for you to carve out that time more frequently!
Blessings and smiles,
Lori
Thank you for this today. I need rest and it’s not. because I’m busy. I need to find out why I’m not feeling rested.
Linda, Lifting you up in prayer this morning asking God to bless you with wisdom and understanding as to you are feeling restless and weary. Praying also that he will bless you today with refreshing and that your Cup with be filled to overflowing with God’s incredible Joy!! He sees you, he loves you and will bring you the answers you need as you seek him.
Lori, thank you so much for sharing!! I worked with severe special needs children in a school for a long time. I have stayed friends with one of the moms and I am praying for you as you love, care for, and minister to this child. God is so good too, both the verses you used here He brought to me yesterday as I was pondering rest. What beautiful confirmation. I am deaf and special needs myself and I am struggle with comparing what I am able to do sometimes and what I can’t. I struggle with saying this is my limit or I need to take a break because everyone else seems to be able to do it, why is it I can’t. I am working on giving myself freedom to rest. Thank you for that encouragement today.
Hi Desiree,
Oh, friend, I am praying right now for you to step into that freedom! I am behind you cheering you on as you set boundaries, recognize limits, and embrace the rest God has designed you to need. ♥
Hugs,
Lori
Thank you so much for these good words! I’m in a season of life where I do have rest, but I pray daily to have God reveal to me those who do not and how I can help them.
Deanna,
I am praising God for your willing spirit to reach into the lives of others to help!
Blessings and smiles,
Lori
This was just what I needed today. Rest from the craziness of life.
I’m so thankful this pointed you to some rest in the midst of the craziness!
What perfect timing! I am in a season of learning to truly rest in Him. Thank you for your precious and encouraging thoughts!
Praying, Bailey, for you to fully embrace resting in Him!
I love that you listed ways to find rest. Those three ways don’t come easy for me, but I know they are crucial! God certainly has me in a season of rest right now, and I’m learning to embrace that rest. Thank you for your words today, sweet friend!
Crystal,
He has this bold way of getting us to grow in the areas we struggle one way or another, doesn’t He? If you weren’t going to do it all on your own, He plopped your cute self down for you! 🙂 Praying for you, friend, that during this season you soak in the rest He knows you need. That you refresh, refuel, and regenerate. And that through it, you learn to carve out the rest you need even in life’s busiest of times ♥
Hugs,
Lori
Love this and oh so needed! Thank you for your encouraging words. Love you Lori! ❤️
Love you back, sweet lady! ♥
Thank you for sharing. This helps me not to feel guilty about taking rest once in a while.
Amen, dear friend! Take that rest and relish those moments!
What I love most about this, Lori, is it considers the fact that we don’t all have the same pressures or schedule or life. What works for one might not work for the other. You have given us all permission to look at our real lives, and find Jesus in it, no matter what it looks like. I love this.
Thank you, Suzie! My journey has really given me eyes to see each life with less assumption or judgement.What we see on the outside rarely fully conveys the everyday moments of each life. And even if it does, if we haven’t walked in those exact shoes, we cannot ever fully grasp the effect it has on that particular person or family. Jesus is most definitely in each of our lives and we need to run to His grace and lean into His love. Thank you so much for giving me the opportunity to share my heart and story here in your beautiful place of encouragement!
Hugs,
Lori
You’re right, Lori. We were never created to do life without help. It’s okay to ask for help! I loved this sweet encouragement. Thank you.
Our pride really does get in the way, doesn’t it? Thanks, Dawn! Love seeing you here!
False guilt is a biggie for me. I feel I should do it all and never complain or have to ask for help. I appreciate the encouragement, Lori! Thank you.
Stopping right now to pray for God to give you super detectors every time that false guilt creeps up and then He fills your mind with the truth you must use to counter the false guilt! Run to His grace, my friend. Praying for your precious daughter, too!
Lori, your words ring true. There are seasons when the slowing down kind of rest just isn’t gonna happen. And yet in every season, Jesus offers is rest. Thank you.
Sometimes our seasons are short and other times they may be a lifetime. But, praise God, He does provide that rest in a supernatural way. And in that, He teaches us how to better manage, arrange, and embrace the season for all the good and difficult that it is.
Blessings and smiles,
Lori
I need rest, and I needed this encouragement today. Thank you for you words. I wish this season in life would end, but I’ll cling to His words.
God works in seasons. I just learned (and am still learning) to embrace this – and to LEAN IN and LOOK DEEP. You can be certain that God is cultivating the soil, and working things unseen which, in their season, will spring up and bless your life. xoxoxo “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens. (Ecclesiastes 3:1)”
Hi Chanda,
I hear your heart in this. I’ve been there before, too – Wishing the season would end. Craving rest and craving it to not be so difficult. I wish I could step into your life and fix every difficult place right now. I know I can’t. It’s not what God has set for now. And I know my words are only a small offering of encouragement. But, friend, hold on and believe that a clearer view to this season will someday be yours. You’ll be able to look and see where God was and what He did in and through you. Right now it’s hard and it stinks … I know. But seek Him and find that rest as you lean into Him. Joy will come again. I’m stopping right now to pray for your situation. I’m praying for rest, peace, comfort, strength, and wisdom.
Lori
Leaning into God’s Word always brings me refreshment to my spirit. The verse in Exodus 33:14 jumped out at me when I read your words…”My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.” I am encouraged that the power of God’s presence and His Word combine to make rest a reality when we drop our agenda and focus on God’s ways. I must go to this refuge of rest whenever I become overwhelmed by the pressures of life.
This is hope-filled. I embrace it as well!
Hi Kathy,
I love that in Exodus right before God said these Words, He was telling Moses how stubborn His people were. It makes me smile because we get so stubborn and bullheaded about doing things our way. Even if our way is wearing us down and defeating us! And so we are with rest – we push ourselves because we have in our heads something has to be done our way. But if we stop being so stubborn and follow God, He will provide rest just as He promises!
Blessings and smiles,
Lori
Lori – you are an amazing woman! I’m so thankful that the Lord challenges us, and doesn’t just let us rest anytime and in any way we might want. I’m sure we’d choose the “me” times more often than not. But because He makes us strive, and search, and continually pursue Him for rest – we find it in ways we never expected … and can help others to find it during their hard seasons. Thank you for blessing us (and me personally) with this post. xoxoxo
You are so kind, Rebecca! Thankful you were blessed by these words!
Blessings and smiles,
Lori
Yes! Love you dear friend. I’ve skipped a few appointments and practices to create rest when life is overwhelming. I love that God is always there to breathe calm into our busy souls.
So grateful for you, Valerie ♥
Been feeling a little overwhelmed and exhausted.i need to learn to rest in his presence more.thank u for giving us this opportunity to win.
Hi Noelle,
I’m stopping to pray right now for that time to spend resting in His grace and for relief for your exhausted soul. ♥
Lori
Finding rest is hard…this is a great push in the right direction.
Praising God for pushing you in that right direction, Nicole! ♥ And I prayed right now that God continue that push until you land in that sweet spot of resting in His grace!
Beautiful post. Sharing on FB.
Thank you, Aimee ♥
Renew
Energize
Stay Focused
Trust God
Thank you, Lori, for this encouragement! I’m not good at resting or asking for help.
I always love the hope you give in your posts.
Blessings!