This week from the library I picked up the book “Llama Llama Home with Mama” by Anna Dewdney. I had never read this book to my son and thought, why not, a good Mother’s Day book to read. My son loved it and in two days we have read it at least 7-8 times. The book is about Llama Llama getting sick and having to stay home with his mom that day. But then the fear of all of moms becomes a reality, Mama LLama also gets sick! I know, I felt sad for her too! However, my sadness quickly shifted into a feeling of epiphany when Llama Llama says, “I know what my Mama needs, she needs rest.” For a moment I was like, “Impossible. No way. How can you rest when you have a sick kid, and dishes, and so many more things to do? As I kept reading, I was honestly convicted in my spirit (Who knew that could happened through a children’s book)?! With a deep sense of “Yes, I have to be like Mama Llama, I have to give myself permission to rest”
Rest may look different for each of us. For some of us it may be a nice cup of HOT coffee during nap time instead of deep cleaning the bathroom, or a sunny day at the park with our kids, being able to bake a cake without interruptions or even working out. Whatever that looks like for you, my invitation for us this Mother’s Day weekend is to rest, not only in our bodies but in our souls. Because at the end of the day that is the source of our ability to physically rest, is to live with a grounded, still posture towards the gift of motherhood. If no one has given you permission today, I give it to you, permission to take your superhero custom off for a day or two and to allow yourself to believe and experience the truth that you are ENOUGH and that no one expect us to be superheroes!! Honestly, we usually set up that high mark for ourselves. God is inviting you to REST today, not tomorrow, not the next Mother’s Day, not when the kids start listening, or the laundry is done, or the mirrors don’t have smudges on them. He wants you to experience the fullness of living the beautiful calling of motherhood from a place of completion. So, how are you going to follow Mama Llama’s example this weekend? I leave you with this powerful verse that I discovered a couple of weeks ago:
“He will tend his flock like a shepherd; he will gather the lambs in his arms; he will carry them in his bosom, and gently lead those that have young” Isaiah 40:11
HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY!
