God Is... Rest

It's getting to be that time of the semester again.

Stress is high. Motivation is low. Sleep is close to nonexistent.

There are tons of papers to be written, midterms to be taken, quizzes, exams, clubs to be active in and meetings to attend.

If we're being honest, sometimes it's hard to juggle being a college student with all of the other roles we have, on a good week. It's two times harder on the weeks that make us feel like we're in over our heads.

I had one of those weeks about 3 weeks ago.

I woke up on time, was able to shower, get dressed and make my breakfast to take with me to class. Just as I was getting ready to grab my things and head out to the door... it happened.

Miles (my 4-month-old puppy) pooped. EVERYWHERE. I'm not sure what he ate, but clearly, it didn't agree with his little tummy... and I was left to clean it up.

Where I was once on time for class, I was now late. Extremely late.

I hate being late so that frazzled me a bit, but I reminded myself to breathe and headed to class.

Then I noticed I left my breakfast... sitting on the counter.

On a regular day, these two things wouldn't have affected me much, but on this particular day, I had a paper due, a 5-page in-depth research paper to write that was due the next day, a quiz to study for and chapters to read to get up to date in my classes.

I ended up turning in my paper and skipping my class just to write the other paper.

I wrote from 12pm - 6pm. Yes. 6 HOURS.

Needless to say, when it was all said and done, I was hungry and exhausted... mentally and physically.

I got back to my apartment building only to get to the front door and realize that my key wasn't working, and none of my roommates were available to open the door for me.

I sat for 30 minutes outside the door, when a girl came around the corner, clearly intending to enter the same door I was sitting in front of.

I cheerfully said to her, "Are you here to see someone? I'm kind of locked out right now but they'll be back soon."

To which she replied, "Um... this is my apartment."

I looked up at the door, and sure enough, I was sitting in front of the WRONG apartment.

She giggled, I shook my head and smirked (as I apologized and explained myself), walked up one more flight of stairs to the RIGHT apartment, and no shocker -- the key worked! (I was overwhelmed people, no judgment).

I got into my apartment, plopped on the couch, called my Mom, and boohoo cried my eyes out.

I was overwhelmed. I was stressed. Yes, everything got done but it didn't change the fact that the remainder of the week was to be just as stressful as that day had been ... and I just wanted to rest.

I didn't feel like I could get it all done, I didn't feel like I could handle the pressure of the week, and I for sure didn't feel as if I could do it all to the best of my ability.

My Mama, being the good Mama that she is, listened to me rant as she suppressed giggles (because honestly, the whole door fiasco was HILARIOUS in hindsight), and instructed me to go get into the shower to wash the day away, and watch a movie when I was done.

Before I got into the shower, I text my cousin to let her know how my day had gone and got in the shower.

Long story short, my cousin responded with encouragement like she always does, but she said something that caused my heart to find hope.

After she got done telling me that we all have days and weeks like this, she says, "Yet, when it's all said and done, we TRUST and we REST."

I immediately knew that she wasn't talking about a physical rest because there was no way possible I was getting rest that week, but I knew that she was speaking to was a place of mental and emotional rest.

A place of rest for my heart.

When it's all said and done... once the tears have been cried, once the papers have been written, once the ranting is over and the dust settles.... we trust in the Sovereignty of a God who does all things well, and in doing so, we can find rest.

Choosing to trust God in the hecticness and uncertainty of our lives is an act of worship.

It's saying, "Hey God! I don't have it all together, and I don't know if I'll be able to get it done on my own, but I trust that you will give me the strength to accomplish every task at hand... and where I fall short, I trust that your grace will cover me."

And when we do that, when we fully surrender (because trust only comes through the surrender of our own wills), there we will find rest. True rest.

I don't know what your hectic looks like right now. It may be way more severe than my seemingly hectic was, or maybe it's not.

It may be school, it may be your health, it may be your finances -- I don't know what it is.

However, what I do know, is that we serve a God that specializes in stepping into our hectic lives and providing rest.

That's not to say that your life will be any less hectic, but what it does mean is that you'll have a different mindset about it and you'll be able to handle it differently.

So today, choose to trust in the Father and find rest in His faithfulness and sovereignty.

God is rest... and He provides a rest more perfect than can be imagined.

"My soul finds rest in God alone; my salvation comes from him." - Psalms 62:1