#1 Rest

Rest. I decided to start with this because it is so very important. The Bible mentions rest hundreds of times within it's pages. The rest I am focusing on, is not the act of sleep, which is a whole other blog. I am talking about having down time, where you don't have any plans. Today's society is running at a lightning fast pace. It seems the older I get, the more that is being put on my plate, not only am I trying to complete what is asked of me, but now, I am trying to complete my husband's, children's, and sometimes even my pet's obligations. It seems to me that if I don't have my child listed in every activity, that somehow I am not giving them the best life. We have to be good citizens, good friends, good family members, good church members, good...and what all of these commitments take is time, and a lot of it. Suddenly, each night is taken up, and one on one family time becomes a thing of the past. In our good intentions, we start to put our family time on the back burner, we trade in our time of reflection, for time to accomplish. What do I have to say about this...STOP!
Protect your alone time, protect your family time! I promise that staying home and reading a book to your child or helping out with their homework, or having popcorn and movie night will make you just as good of a parent as someone that has their child enrolled in a hundred different activities. You don't have to say "yes" to everything, sometimes the right thing to do is just say "no".
I would encourage you, that for each evening you are out, have an evening in. Have dinner together, go to the park as a family, spend time talking about your hopes and dreams. If you race through life, you will never truly live it! You have to have a balance. I am not kidding you, Satan would love to come in and busy our schedules so much that we miss the most important and critical parts.
"Be at rest once more, O my soul, for the Lord has been good to you." Psalms 116:7