God, my shepherd!  I don’t need a thing.  You have bedded me down in lush meadows, you find me quiet pools to drink from.  True to your word, you let me catch my breath and send me in the right direction.

Psalm 23:1-3 MSG

Families are busier today than they have been in generations past.  We are so busy rushing here and there that it seems we have more packed in our schedules resulting in less time spent together as a family.  Couples rarely see each other, and then they wonder why they feel distant.

It really is okay for families and couples to say NO more often to extracurricular activities that crowd our schedules and take over every waking moment we have!

When do you take time to relax and rejuvenate?  When do you rest and quiet your soul?

My dad just said this past week that our schedules are too packed for him.  He said he does not see how we do it and knows that he just could not keep up with going like we do.  Even on weekends, we are going here or there.  It sounds odd, but in a way, I believe he was giving us permission to just … be.   It is like we think we have to keep our hands busy at all times with different things that we’re doing or places that we’re going, and he was just letting us know that it really and truly is okay to take time to rest, relax, and just do absolutely nothing!   That is hard for my husband to do, though, as he has a lot of what we call nervous energy where he cannot seem to sit still for very long.  For me, though, some of my most favorite weekends are spent inside watching movies with my family.  I especially love rainy days or Winter days where it is just too cold to be outside – that is when we put on a big ole pot of chili or potato soup and watch a movie marathon all snuggled up together under our shared blankets.  Some times we will even make a fort for my youngest, which thrills her to no end!   When it is nice outside, though, it is harder to give into the urge to just relax because guilt sets in.  We have to retrain our brains to know that it really is okay to rest!

One of my most favorite bible verses says:

Be still and know that I am God.  Psalm 46:10

Be still.

Why is that so hard to do?

If more families and couples would focus more on keeping it simple instead of packing their schedule so full, think of the quality time you could all spend together!

One of my most favorite things to do in my “being still” moments is get on the back of my horse, Sugar, and ride in God’s beautiful countryside.  I literally rode beside still waters on a trail ride recently, and I could feel the stress leaving my body with every step that my horse took.  As she lowered her head almost in reverence to God above, my soul was restored right there in the middle of the forest.

While I’m talking about my horse (my friends and family know that my face lights up immediately at the mere mention of my horse’s name), just last week I rode Sugar around the entire perimeter of our yard.  The sun had already set, and the stars began to appear.  Right there under the sparkling blanket of shimmering lights, I prayed out loud as Sugar carried me.  I thanked God for all that He has done for our family and for how He is working in our lives.  I thanked God for keeping His hand of protection over my entire family, our children, our parents, and our marriage.  I felt my soul at peace right there under the vastness of the sky in the wide open space … my partner and I.

Take time with the ones you love, and allow yourself some down time.  Rest, rejuvenate, restore … be still and know that He is God.

Join us tomorrow for … Disconnecting From The World.   (Little did I realize today while writing this that tomorrow’s chapter goes hand in hand with what I just wrote above.  I truly am reading this one chapter at a time and applying my thoughts daily.)

For all posts in this series, click here.

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