I would love if you’d join in the daily discussion!
Why You Can’t Live at the Spa
Shucks. =)
There are so many things that need redefinition now that the Boy has entered our lives. It’s funny, sometimes I don’t even realize what they are until they surface (which sounds stupid after I see it, but it’s still true). A few weeks ago at our team meeting at work, my boss led devotions on Psalm 123. He ended by asking what we were each doing over the summer to refresh our souls. I stammered out something about camp and hoping we would be able to go but not being sure but we’d see…
I was flustered – why didn’t we have fun summer plans too? Well, we can’t afford to go anywhere, the Boy hates his carseat and therefore I stay home a lot (I’d rather be stir crazy than sit in traffic with him screaming), we shouldn’t take the time… I had a slew of reasons. But the truth was that I hadn’t thought about what I – we as a family – needed to do to refresh our souls. Perhaps because it sounds like kind of a joke these days. Can this weary mom heart, exhausted from 6 months full of short broken nights and long days of baby wrangling, truly be refreshed?
God says YES.
He gives power to the weak and strength to the powerless. Even youths will become weak and tired, and young men will fall in exhaustion. But those moms who trust in the Lord will find new strength to make it until bedtime. They will soar high on wings like eagles.
Emphasis mine =)
We don’t need a getaway to the spa or the cabin to relieve stress. Oh sisters, don’t mistake me – I love me some time away! Even a solo trip to Target is a blessed relief. I’m not discounting the need to pack up the car and just go – this is a necessity in each season of our lives.
But in our everyday, when we call on scripture, our weary hearts get a blast of cool sweet water from the Living Fount.
Let’s chat:
- What things do you love to do to relieve stress?
- Do you see God’s Word as providing you with comfort? Why? Why not?
-anna
{girl with blog}
{girl with blog}
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I {heart} your paraphrase of Isaiah 40:29-31. You should put that on your fridge. Maybe I’ll put it on mine!
Oh tha sweet fountain that does not stop flowing. What a blessing. He never grows weary. Ever.
Thanks Anna for pointing me to the Well.
I agree on your paraphrase! It really hits home = ) And I totally get you on the going to Target by yourself thing. On Mother’s Day one of the things I asked my husband to let me do was go to the grocery store by myself. It was such a treat to be able to pick out groceries without being on a time schedule. I got a cup of chai from the Starbucks in the store and just wandered to my hearts content.
Ooh, I wish we could wander the aisles together with some chai! =)
Thank you both for your kind words. I find that if I insert a part of myself in the scripture, it sticks a little deeper =)
Here are a few things I do to help relieve stress …
My husband gets home from work around 8:30-9 at night so Logan and I have the house to ourselves until then. I’ve found that keeping the TV OFF in the evenings helps me unwind from the day at the office. The drone of television drives me batty.
I love to sing and sometimes I’ll put Pandora on while Logan and I have dinner. While I’m feeding him I sing to my heart’s content. It is so relaxing to me and helps turn tedious chores (like dishes) into something enjoyable. Don’t know if my neighbors like it, but I’ve never gotten a complaint!
I also love to read and to craft. So if I have a rare moment I’ll pull out my crochet or cross stitch, maybe break out the sewing machine and make my boy yet another burp cloth. This one doesn’t happen very often these days, but I keep a bunch of projects on hand just in case!
I’ve been doing a Beth Moore bible study on the fruit of the spirit the past couple months. I’m doing it at my own pace and it really helps me get into God’s Word and spend some quiet time with Him. I’m always amazed (you’d think I’d get it by now) how much better I feel, how much LESS the little things bother me, when I spend time in the Scriptures. If I’m at my breaking point it’s usually a sign that I’ve not been spending enough quality time with Him.
Keeping the TV off is a great idea. I love to craft too, but like you it happens in a very rare moment!
When do you do your Bible study time? I struggle to find (make?) the alone time to study and would love to hear your routine!
My Bible study time really varies day by day. I tend to do it while I’m eating my breakfast in the morning or when Logan is playing in the evenings. In the mornings I may only get 5 or 10 minutes, but if my husband is watching Logan, or Logan is still snoozing I’ll grab the few minutes I can over a bowl of cereal.
In the evenings I can sometimes go longer depending on Logan’s needs. If he’s playing on the floor I’ll plop right down next to him, or more likely on the couch, and do my study while he’s content. Some days I get interrupted every couple of minutes or so, but at least I’m trying! I have a feeling the interruptions will be more frequent now that he’s crawling!
Though I’ll admit I’m far from doing it every single day. It’s something I’m still working on.
I find my best prayer time is in the car on the way to or from work.
I do many of those same things. When I’m working in the kitchen I’ll put music on and we’ll sing together – most of the time she enjoys watching and singing along. I’ll also get on the floor with her even if we are doing different things, she enjoys being at my level and I enjoy her not cry-whining. 🙂 I think one feeling that creeps up a lot is my tether to her. It’s not that I think about it a lot, but when my husband happens to make a plan to do something with his dad or someone else (this actually rarely happens, but whenever it does it just reminds me of my tether) I am so bluntly reminded that I can’t do that. I can never just say, hey, I’m going to do this or that, or I’m going to be late this evening. All that I do is planned around Norah. And I really don’t mind this, except for the occasional time when I realize that I haven’t done anything by myself besides working in months.
It’s not something I think will ever change, nor do I care for it to, but when I can go to the grocery store by myself it is truly amazing. 🙂
Thanks for the ideas, girls! I don’t have a commute (I work from home) but definitely should use music more. Sometimes I forget that I can fill my son and my own ears with praise music =)
Rach, loved what you said – ‘all that i do is planned around Norah’ – is exactly true. You know, I’m not sure that even our husbands can empathize with that sometimes. It’s a challenge/blessing/tether/gift, all squished into one.
I completely agree on that comment as well. Running a quick errand is no longer quick or easy. I’m so blessed that Logan has been really good in stores with me. I’m sure that won’t last forever so I’m grateful for it while it lasts. But I do feel guilty having to make him run errands on weeknights. It limits our play time together. But there are only so many days in a week and sometimes that’s the only time I have!
Rachel, I wonder if you could ask your husband to have a night with Norah just the two of them. That way they have quality time and you can have a girl’s night out? Even if it’s only once every month or so it might be a welcome relief. I hope you are able to find ways to enjoy some “you” time!
Jessica, I have thought about that and would love to! One night I went to worship practice and had him get Norah ready for bed – she was in a very “mommy” place at that time so I think it was a bit trying (meaning she cried pretty much the whole time), but that was about 2 months ago. She has gotten much more used to him, and I’m sure if I created a girls night he’d be happy to hang with her. I actually really don’t have many girl friends around 🙁 but hope that in time, I’ll be able to do it a little more often once I grow in those relationships. Thanks for the advice!
New reader! I’m just now starting to read so I’ve got to catch up on the previous days. What I do to relieve stress? I like to workout (aka exercise). Going for a run is probably one of the most enjoyable, stress relievers I can do! I’m getting exercise, enjoying nature and getting some alone time.
I’ll admit I’ve gotten slack with daily devotional time. I do use my time in the car as my prayer time though. I have 3 sons. I’ll tell them “Mommy is going to have quiet time. Talk to each other but for a few minutes Mommy isn’t going to chat with you.”
Welcome! So glad you’re here =) I can’t wait until I’m able to exercise again – I think it will feel awesome to get outside more. We live right across the street from a big park, so we have easy access to all that naturey goodness =)
I really miss going to the gym. Before i got pregnant I went to an awesome step class. And I loved riding the bikes. The gym has childcare, but I feel guilty making Logan go to another childcare after he’s been in daycare all day. Now that summer weather is here I should really start taking Logan for walks during the week. ItMs just hard to motivate myself after a long day at work.