Daily Delight

As I sit down to write this, “exhausted” is the first word that comes to mind. Being the sort of girl who packs her schedule like an over-sized can of sardines, it’s a feeling that I’ve become pretty familiar with.

 

The exhausted moments are hard for me. When I sit down to rest, my productive self will shout, “What are you doing?! Get up! You’re wasting time.” This battle of me versus my calendar is often rationalized as the need to keep current, but instead, I find myself struggling just to keep up. With an ever-growing to-do list, I’ll say that I can’t afford to rest – then buy three cups of extra-strong coffee just to make it through the next onslaught of meetings and due dates.

 

Looking in the Word, however, it’s plain that this is not how our God intends for us to live. In fact, Jesus invites us into a posture of intentional rest through His interaction with Martha and Mary.

 

“As Jesus and His disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to Him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what He said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to Him and asked, ‘Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!’ ‘Martha, Martha,’ the Lord answered, ‘you are worried and upset over many things, but few things are needed – or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.’” -Luke 10:38 – 42 (NIV)

 

Here, the Lord extends His hand to Martha, offering rest in replacement of her busy perfectionism. He extends this same hand to us, asking us to seek His rest within the high-speed lanes of life.

 

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” -Matthew 11:28 (NIV)

 

This time around, I think I’ll accept the gift. 

About the Author

Sierra Okoniewski

Sierra is a spunky, 22-year-old Michigander who is saved by Jesus Christ every single day. A college student with a culinary degree under her belt, she loves to whip up pies and brunch for hungry friends...sometimes in that order.

Sierra lives in Romeo, Michigan with her parents, three sweet siblings, and their spazzy Australian Shepherd puppy, Pepper. Her calling is to write about the work that The Father is doing in her heart while she grows as His daughter.

You can often find Sierra karaoke-dancing in the kitchen, lavender latte in hand. If she's not there, she's probably out backpacking...but she promises to return shortly, armed with bear hugs and big-mountain stories.