Sundays...A Day Of Rest

"No Rest for The Weary!..."  

I have often heard that phrase; and to be very honest, I have been weary for months on end lately it seems...exhausted from illness (both mine, and other family and friends), school, un-relenting homework, raising my 3 year old son as a single mom (an interesting challenge, not for the faint of heart, as is regular parenting as well :) ),  trying to find an internship, or a regular job, wanting a little bit of love along the way at some point, and so it seems...that life can really just plain, WEAR YOU OUT....if you let it :)

So, I pose a question, to any of you...what does it mean to you, to really be weary?  In what ways does the wear and tear of life take its toll on you, and how do you handle it?

And almost instantly, the Psalms come into my heart.  This one just really mimics the cry of my own heart more times than not, and I must be in tune to what I'm crying out for, or I am just aimless, and that's not where I want to be, I want to be on the right path!

Psalm 63 in fact. 1-3-5,7-8

" O God, You are my God,
Earnestly, I seek you; 
My soul thirsts for you, 
My body longs for you, 
In a dry and weary land
Where there is no water...
I have seen you in the sanctuary
And beheld your power and your glory.
Because Your love is better than life, 
My lips will glorify You.
I will praise you as long as I live, 
And in YOUR name I will lift up my hands...
With singing lips my mouth will praise you...
Because You are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings.
My soul clings to you; 
Your right hand upholds me."

I put this in verse form, because I think it helps cement the feeling of the moment, of David, being in the desert, and his lament between him and The Lord...How sweet that sound is to His ears, even from me, I must remember, when I am weary, and discouraged.

So last night, a friend and I went down to Atwater, a little south of where I live, and went out to dinner with my cousin and her husband.  Can I just say....we had an absolute blast?
I had more fun last night with my gang than I have had in a very long time, so light hearted...we laughed at dinner, we laughed at Target, after dinner, and when we got home to their house and played monopoly for over 4 hours straight, we laughed then too...well, they played monopoly, my cuz helped me dye my hair :)

We watched movies, ate our left-over Mexican food, and then the winds got so heavy outside, we couldn't really drive home, so we just crashed, and stayed up til 2 in the morning, laughing, drinking coffee,  and really just having a ball!  What a relief it was to my soul, to be so light-hearted!

So I woke up this morning, went and got things put together, and decided to head home before noon, and I woke up early, but still refreshed, and relaxed.

I thought about the passage in Matthew, 11:28-30 "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle, and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  for my yoke is easy, and my burden light."

I think for a while, I ignored the knocks at my soul, the instances where I should have realized before that I was getting weary, doing to much, trying to be to much for everyone...and  so I kept going.
And yet~Today, on a Sunday, the day that is generally reserved to be a day of rest, it occurred to me, that I have been refreshed, for the first time in a long time!  And guess what???  

*I LIKE it!!!*

~~How sweet it is to be able to reminisce on a day of rest, and truly feel rested?  It's amazing!