Thirsty. Tired. Weary. That is how I would describe my soul thus far during this chapter of my life. In the past three years of being a mother, I have struggled to find the true kind of soul rest I used to know. At the risk of sounding whiny or ungrateful, I'm pulling the transparency card in the case that you, too, can relate.
But it is time for me to take my search for water more seriously and I need a little accountability and a lot of community.
Mostly, I want to be back in constant touch with the Source of this water, Jesus Christ.
I am writing this series in search of answers, ideas, wisdom, inspiration and perspective because my soul longs for the kind of rest that goes deeper than just a spa day.
For help, I have enlisted several friends to contribute their wisdom over the next 7 days. All are moms in their 30's and are women I respect for their deep relationship with Jesus.
Meet some of my friends:
- My gentle friend from Kansas is the mom of 3 children between the ages of 6 months and 4 years
- My analytical friend from Michigan is the mom of 3 children between the ages of 4 months and 6 years
- My kind friend from Wisconsin is the mom of 9 children (yes, 9!), between the ages of 3 months and 13 years
- My disciplined friend from Alabama is the mom of 2 children, ages 1 and 3
- My passionate friend from Missouri is the mom of one step son, age 18 and 3 biological children between the ages of 2 and 8
- My wise friend from Illinois is the mom of 4 children between the ages of 2 and 8
In the mix? A homeschooling mom or two, some evangelicals and a Catholic, a personal trainer, a teacher, a doctor, and a mom in full-time ministry. Though they all live in different states and only a few know each other, all had some inspiring ideas about following Jesus.
Their profound words and advice will be scattered throughout these posts and I know that you will be blessed by them just as I have been.
Here's what you can expect over the next 7 days, beginning on December 1st:
Day 1: Three Secrets of Soul Rest
Day 2: Moms Are Not Monks
Day 3: Permission for Self Care
Day 4: Ordinary Moments
Day 5: Creative Spirituality for Busy Times
Day 6: Planning a Personal Retreat
Day 7: Sabbath Rhythms
These posts will be geared towards encouraging moms of little ones in a season of life that can feel like Jesus is constantly asking too much of us, but I am sure that anyone seeking soul rest will benefit since the truths and principles we discuss are timeless. In addition to talking about the Source of our soul rest, we'll discuss practical ways to pray, spend time in the Word, have a healthy lifestyle, plan a personal retreat and implement Sabbath practices during seasons when we feel weary.
I would love to hear your experiences each day in the comments. In fact, I am prepared to bribe you to comment (although I am learning they call these "giveaways" in the blogging world). If you leave a comment or subscribe during the duration of this series, I will draw three names the day after the last post is published and the winners will receive a code for a free audio book download.
I am certainly not an expert on this subject, so I would love to hear of any other resources such as books, blog posts, articles or websites you know of on this topic. I will share some that I have run across as well.
To follow along each day, you can subscribe in the upper right corner and these posts will go directly to your email inbox. Otherwise, you can return to this intro page or find the "7 Days of Soul Rest" page at the top of the website and the latest post will be linked to the table of contents.
Okay, sisters (though weary brothers are welcome, too), let's begin this journey together.
I pray that we would find true rest for our souls as we seek Christ together.
"You will seek me and find me when you search for me with all your heart." Jer. 29:13
Linking up with Sitting Among FriendsLabels: 7 Days of Soul Rest, motherhood, parenthood, Soul Rest
