Where Do You Find Rest?
Amidst the sea of people at the grocery store, you lose yourself in your thoughts:
Did I get everything done I needed to?
Oh no! I forgot to mail that out today.
It’s my mom’s birthday. I better call her!
Should I get my kid some new soccer cleats?
I was supposed to be at that meeting 20 minutes ago!
Ladies, our minds never stop running! We were created by God to “take care.” Our brains are naturally wired to remember to-do lists, birthdays, grocery lists, itineraries and appointments. We always feel capable of handling everything that falls into our lap, and we usually find it to be a challenge to embark on. When we succeed, it tends to be an expectation we set before ourselves, not an accomplishment of the great job we did. Now, if you are that woman who celebrates the small things, congrats!
I have struggled to find that in my celebration in my heart for years. When comparing the woman’s brain to a man’s brain, science clearly shows us that the woman’s frontal lobe, the executive region, is fatter and more complex. This indicates that we have the potential to hold more information, organize more effectively, and some scientists believe this is what makes women better decision-makers and problem-solvers.
Being fascinated with neuroscience, I understand that our brains need downtime, just like a computer needs to be turned off or restarted.
Yet, those points seem to contradict each other:
1. I have plenty of hats I wear, and my brain just needs to rest before I combust.
2. I am a woman of God, with a smart brain, and can do anything I set my mind to.
Hebrews 4:9-11 says:
“There remains therefore a rest for the people of God. For He who has entered His rest has himself also ceased from his works as God did from His. Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest, lest anyone fall according to the same example of disobedience.”
God wants us to rest. What a relief! In fact, this scripture helps us to see that rest is for the obedient. Those who do His good works and are on a mission to serve His people deserve rest, just as God did on the seventh day. When we feel we are at the end of our rope, God wants us to rest in Him.
Hebrews 4:16 says:
“Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”
That is one of my favorite verses. If you are a woman running the rat race and checking things off of your to-do list, REST! That God would request our presence at His throne when in our time of need portrays the love of a Father that wants us to be cared for. And when you bring a friend with you to His throne, you are rewarded a prize that only the obedient get the opportunity to receive.
