Well, I’m writing from the comfort of my bed this afternoon. This is not something I had planned. In fact, since it is the day after Thanksgiving, I had every intention of letting the Christmas festivities commence. You’re going to laugh…but since 2020 has been a heck of a year I took the opportunity last week to put up my beloved Christmas village and sprinkle bits and pieces of Christmas all around the house. I was careful to preserve the dining room(the center of Thanksgiving dinner), and I tried desperately to save the Christmas music I knew so well for my quiet, solo moments (I didn’t want to exhaust the melodies of Christmas for the rest of my family)! And so today was reserved for indoor Christmas lights(because I put the outdoor lights up last week…when in Vermont one must seize the opportunity during warmer days!) , ornaments and the rest of the house. But…here I am, sniffling my way through a very drowsy morning-turned-afternoon.

It is this kind of day that could make the more productive(or, I should say productivity-seeking) personalities among us(like myself) frustrated. Gosh, I am so thankful that our God is not this way.

HE doesn’t see these rest-filled moments(that masquerade as laziness in my own heart) as wasteful, but rather a necessary reprieve. And isn’t that needed perspective?

I have been camping out in Psalm 119 the past week, and—let me tell you—it has been a balm for my soul! I’m learning that as a mama to three little bitties, my very forgetful brain meditates better when I’m chewing on the same passage weeks at a time. The Psalmist continually speaks of life found in the Word(17, 25, 37,50, 88, 93, 107, 116, 149, 154, 156, 159). Today my physical body is failing me(only in a minor way, but I am still hindered by how weakened this cold has made me). It reminds me of the truth that this life—this body, this world—is not my home. The Lord is ever-refining that I may daily be brought to that remembrance. And there is such goodness in that!

But I wouldn’t have noticed(not today, at least) if my mind was consumed by the Christmas chaos I had planned. No; because my schedule changed entirely, my mind has remembered the source of true rest—found in Christ alone. And that(however frustrated I am, and however foiled I found my plans) is exactly what I needed.

It seems so fitting that the Lord has given me pause before my very favorite(and always busy) time of year. It is His gentle reminder to stop, fixing my eyes on Him, and rest in WHO He is. As we near the Advent season, I’m so grateful He has hushed my restless heart; so humbled that He’s not exasperated to correct me(yet again) but peaceably calls me to quiet reflection. It is a perfect faithfulness of which I am undeserving.

This blessing has fallen to me, that I have kept your precepts. ~ Psalm 119:56

Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord! ~ Psalm 27:14