On Being a Writer: Rest

I almost chuckled reading this chapter: REST.

What's that???

Let's be honest.  Some of us feel like we don't have time for rest.  As a mama, I have the mindset that I don't have time to rest.  My kids reinforce that as well!

But seriously, here in my writing journey, I don't rest intentionally.  My rest from writing comes from the busyness of life as I know it.

There are times I've returned here to the blog and apologized for my absence and went on to explain what had pulled me away.  Not that anyone really cared, but I felt the need to explain myself.

But rest from this place is a bit different for me than it may be for other writers.  You see, my time here is contingent upon my time with Christ.  I made a deal with God (yes, I'm one of those people). If I didn't spend time with Him, then I wouldn't spend time here.

So sometimes life pulls me away.

My family.....we spend time together. We play together. I told my middle child the other day, "We are family and will suffer in misery together."  That was partly a joke because he didn't understand why we had to drive an hour away for his big brother's soccer game.  But it's true.  Family first, no matter what's going on.

My church.....I teach and volunteer and do what I can to minister to those in my church.

My career.....I'd love to say I have a writing career, but that's not where I am on this journey.  Teaching keeps me pretty busy.  Planning, preparing, meeting, grading......all that that comes along with teaching these young children.

For me, sometimes I need a rest from real life.  For instance, when I attended the Five Minute Friday retreat, I was rejuvenated.  I felt refreshed and ready to conquer the world with words (or at least share them more confidently).  My life experiences have helped me with reviving my writing.  The busyness that comes along with deployment, the struggles that came with my miscarriage.....those and other seasons of life have allowed me to step back from this space and return with fresh words.

One thing I am learning is REST IS GOOD.  After all, God took a rest.  If He did, shouldn't I as well?  Maybe that comes with age and experience, the realization that rest is truly good, and we shouldn't feel guilty for it.