Rest

Today I am thankful for rest.  I have been thinking a lot the past couple of days about rest and I am grateful that God designed us to need rest in the way that He did.  So much good comes from rest – we are renewed, we are refocused, we are given life and energy.  In the days after Clara’s birth I sought rest desperately.  Having a baby is tiring.  Traveling back and forth between two hospitals wears you out.  Recovering from major surgery demands rest.  And yet, having a sick baby brings worry and fear and anxiety – all things that steal away rest (also nurses who want to check your blood pressure and temperature and blood and press on your belly every hour in the hospital….)  So the moments of rest that I have found have been so precious and so treasured. 

God has modeled this for us.  After six days of creation, what did he do?  Took a Sabbath – a day intended purely for rest.  He also made this day of rest holy.  Rest is holy.  “By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done.”  (Genesis 2:2-3) He calls us to do the same.  And even better, He tells us to give over all the things that impede our rest to Him.  “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 is light.”  (Matthew 11:28-30)  Not only does God want for us to rest, he wants to help us do it.

As I’ve been thinking about rest, I also realized (aha!) that rest is the root word of restore.  Clearly, I’m no linguist, but that connection was a powerful moment for me.  In order to be restored, we must give in to rest.  We must allow for rest.  We must embrace rest.   And we will be restored not only emotionally and physically, but spiritually.  While Clara is on ECMO she is resting.  That is what this time is all about for her.  She is resting her heart and resting her lungs and resting her sweet little body.  It is our continued prayer that this time of rest for her will lead to restoration.  Just as I am trying to nap between pumping and put my feet up while at her bedside, the rest that Clara is getting now is hopefully preparing her body for a big fight ahead.  Again, I am thankful for ECMO and I am thankful for rest.  What a beautiful gift. 

And so, in the weeks ahead, we will continue to be intentional about carving out time and space for rest in our lives and of course for Clara.  It is my hope and prayer that this is not just any kind of rest, but a sacred rest that is centered on God’s renewing and restoring love. 

Psalm 62:5-8

Yes, my soul, find rest in God;

my hope comes from him.

Truly he is my rock and my salvation;

he is my fortress, I will not be shaken.

My salvation and my honor depend on God;

he is my mighty rock, my refuge.
Trust in him at all times, you people;

pour out your hearts to him,

for God is our refuge.

Rest, sweet baby.

*Today’s medical update coming soon.  Didn’t seem quite right to mash that in with this….