Rest

It is quiet in the house tonight. Noah and Tim are at AWANA. I am home with a tired Caleb, a just-shy-of-healthy Eleanor, and Ezekiel, who is napping before his next feeding.
The living room is dimly lit, just enough to read and write without straining eyes. In the dining room, a candle burns bright in the middle of the table. Bon Iver's music is softly streaming from the kitchen.
It is late February and at almost 7:00 it is not quite dark yet, a wonderful sneak peek of longer - and warmer - days just around the corner.
The scene is ideal, isn't it? Why? This is not what our home was like just two hours ago. At that time, the kids were noisily chasing each other through the house while i tried to tell Ellie to lay on the couch and rest. Tim was trying to calm a crying 10-week-old who knew it was time for his dinner as I stood in the kitchen preparing plates of food and thanking God for meals that only need to be re-heated from the freezer.
The opposite of now.
I think that to have that peace and quiet in the midst of, or following, chaos is important. It allows our brains to think without multitasking. It lets our bodies sit and rest after a day of what feels like non-stop movement. It is a moment we can grasp to enjoy a hobby without feeling guilty for it.
Take time to rest.
To refill.
Re-energize.
To listen to God.
Read.
Be silent.
Enjoy.

"And he said to them, 'Come away by yourselves to a desolate place and rest a while.' For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat." -Mark 6:31