Except the LORD build the house, they labour in vain that build it: except the LORD keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain. It is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows: for so he giveth his beloved sleep.
~Psalm 127:1, 2
My heavy eyes and aching body longed for a soft bed but determination forced my mind to keep going. The end of the school season meant the beginning of school planning season. With a pile of books and highlighters as my late night companions, I began to devise a third grade scope and sequence.
If you asked me if I felt called to homeschool I would have said yes.
If you asked me if I felt I was serving the Lord through serving my family I would have said yes.
If you asked me if I felt joy to serve, I would have given you a firm no.
My late nights were due to an over-committed schedule because I wanted to be super homeschool mom. After all if God called me to homeschool then it would require hard work. I had my marching orders and off I went…to march alone. My efforts came from me and not from allowing God to work in me.
The joy in my heart faded.
…he giveth his beloved sleep.
I grew weary.
…he giveth his beloved sleep.
My head was heavy.
…he giveth his beloved sleep.
Do not labor in vain. Allow the Lord to guide your movements and bring order to your day. Otherwise, your family will not get your best but a faded mom who longs for a soft pillow. A lack of sleep causes us to drift through our days feeling unappreciated, alone, and eventually resentful. When lackluster days turn to a loss of joy we come dangerously close to illness and depression.
I know there is much work to be done. I know you strive to become the woman God intends you to be for your family. But God did not intend for you to walk weary and miss your life. Give your schedule over to the Lord. Answer your pillow and feel the warm embrace of your blanket and rest knowing the Lord provided you the perfect amount of time for His purposes. Your family needs the best you not a faded you with heavy eyes and a pale heart.
~Excerpt from my new eBook, Summertime Refresher, due to come out this June.