With You Through the Ruffles

| Jesus said to them, "Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest." |

Isn't that what every new mom wants to hear? "rest". It's a strong word that slaps you in the face as soon as you realize you're never getting uninterrupted sleep again, at least for a while. Unless you're that rare mom whose child sleeps through the night and YOU ( you know who you are) have to wake them up, not vice versa. I remember the beautiful night that my daughter slept for nine hours straight and I practically threw a party, and then it never happened again. Since then I've been letting go of that wish, but also silently begging for it again. 

The funny thing about finding rest in Jesus is that it usually doesn't include your uninterrupted long stretch of sleep. It's a different kind of rest, one that I'm learning to trust in. For me it looks like this: forcing myself to wake up after I nurse a baby who doesn't fall asleep between some random time in the time frame of 9pm-11pm. Forcing everything in me to not go to sleep then, but to go take out my contacts, brush my teeth, and open up my bible. To let his words run deep and strengthen me, and to spend time with Him. And trust me, it's not a walk in the park. In fact, it takes every ounce of my grumpy self to actually do this. 

Because it's kind of like this ruffled, off the shoulder shirt- bear with me on this one. We live these busy lives, filled with the early wake up calls, the messy hair, the daily struggle, the late nights. However, Jesus, he is that sweet, sweet breeze that you feel across your bare shoulders. He's the refreshing newness that we need to carry on. He's with us through the ruffles, in fact, he rests at the very top of them. And the thing is, he completes us in the ruffles. Life is messy, and it gets tough, but we need to push through those ruffles to meet Jesus at the top of them. So whether your a mom, a student, a person trying to get it together, a daughter, a sister, WHOEVER you are, I want you to know that you can find rest. That this is for you. That I am also in the ruffle boat along side you seeking rest. It is there. Even if your life is nothing like mine, if your dirty diapers are bills too high to pay, or if you messy hair is a problem at work, remember that he is that gentle breeze against the ruffled shirt that life throws our way. Remember that when you pause for a minute you can feel it. Remember to not let that go. Continue to press on until you find the gentle, off the shoulder breeze of the father. 

This fashion illustration was inspired by this here top