Resting or Resisting?
by Patty Wysong
Nursery duty is not one of my favorite things. In fact, it’s enough to make me groan, but I remember quite clearly how much I appreciated being able to sit through a church service without little ones. Nursery is something I can certainly do once every six weeks, so when the need was announced, and my daughter asked, we volunteered. Each time our turn comes up, I remind myself it’s a good opportunity to serve with a smile so a young mother can sit in service. It’s been good for me! And the time I’m with the kids is okay.
I was in the nursery recently and found myself with a little one that was tired and fighting sleep. Which made two of us! By 11:30 the child did not want to play, but to be held while I stood. I’m enough out of practice that I can’t stand with a little one on my hip for long, so I sat in the rocker and tried to placate the temper tantrum throwing child on my lap. After several toys were batted away, I reached for a book, and quiet finally settled in. After chatting through several pages, the little one’s head nodded and I would’ve cheered if I hadn’t been afraid of ruining it. Two more nods and the little head tucked under my chin with a sigh from both of us.
As I sat and snuggled the little one I wondered why they resist sleep so much sometimes. That’s when I realized that I’m often like that little one. I throw a fit because I don’t want to rest in God. I resist relaxing in my Savior’s hands and do everything I can to handle things on my own. Until I can’t anymore and I drop off and finally rest in God—the very thing I needed all along.
Why does a little one fight sleep so much? Why do I fight resting in God so much? Maybe I need to simply let go, snuggle in and rest in my Father’s arms.
How about you? Do resist resting at times too?
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Since Patty Wysong quit running from God’s call on her life and surrendered her pen to Him, she’s been happy. Life is never dull as she juggles being a wife, a homeschooling mom of five, a Bible study facilitator, an online blogging class teacher, a blog designer, a website manager, and a writer. As long as she’s obeying God’s leading, she figures that sanity is a novelty and not a necessity. Patty clings to the promise that God will enable her to do what He asks of her, otherwise you would find her living with the scaredy cats at the Funny Farm and not just occasionally visiting.
Visit Patty Wysong online at: http://www.pattywysong.com/
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5 Comments until now.
SUCH a good reminder for me in my busy life. Wonderful, needed message, Peejers. Thanks!
Definitely a good reminder.
Thanks for sharing, Peej!
Why DO we resist our Father’s gentle arms? But I do it, too–must be that little thing called self-relaince and we all know what happens when we go with that too long: burn out! Love this post. (:
Oh, yes, the nursery! And why do we resist. The Lord brought this home to me as I was literally chasing one of our cats to give him a treat and was thinking “stop, I only want to bless you!” – the Holy Spirit whispered to me you are just like that cat often times when all I want to do is bless you….” oops.
My first child, a boy, was a champion sleep fighter. He battled so hard and determinedly I concluded he equated sleep with death. Even when his eyelids finally began to droop, he would still twitch a thumb or one foot for a final claim on consciousness.
A spiritual connection? Maybe resting in God IS a kind of death: we’re afraid we might miss out on something. But in reality its a good kind of dying, because only when we enter into His rest do we really start to live that abundant life Jesus promises.
Somewhere in here is a timely message for me, also. I’ve been asking God to help me get to bed earlier.