The great thing about the first few weeks after delivering a child is that no one in the world expects anything of you. In fact, people are shocked if they see you out. No one in line at Starbucks wants to be told that your kid is 5 days old. It makes them uncomfortable. (Even if you explain that you have to buy a latte in order to get your parking validated because there were no spots at the pediatrician\u2019s lot. Don\u2019t judge me!)<\/p>\n
There\u2019s also the whole thing with your body being in total upheaval. Your stomach is an empty, organless land (at least it feels that way when you sink your fist into the gobs of skin). And your body actually tells you if you do too much. More bleeding = bad job resting, Mama.<\/p>\n
I love that. I\u2019m absolutely thankful that my mother is here and doesn\u2019t expect me to do much besides feed my baby and snuggle his big brother. Because yesterday, I tried to skip my afternoon nap and ended up feeling a little pathetic by 5 pm, my mom insisted I lie down today. I\u2019m obeying because I have only a few more days to be pampered before she goes home. And I\u2019m going to be grateful and healed up before she leaves.<\/p>\n
As I reread through parts of Esther de Waals\u2019 The Celtic Way of Prayer <\/em>yesterday, I was reminded of an ancient Celtic prayer that I couldn\u2019t help but love the first time I read it:<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Bless to me, O God,<\/em> Bless to me the thing<\/em> <\/em><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cBless Thou to me my rest.\u201d Since I first read those words a few months ago, my mind can\u2019t move past that line when I read this prayer. It seems to me that it takes a lot of courage to ask God to bless the rest we take, the space we make for rest in our lives, so that Sabbath can be real and nourishing.<\/p>\n Our culture despises rest. It wants us to feel guilty about it. It wants us to judge our lives and our productivity by our lack of it. \u201cI\u2019m really busy\u201d is our societal form of \u201cI\u2019m really important; I matter.\u201d<\/p>\n We should be in constant struggle to live counter-culturally in this sense: to believe in rest and cling to it. I\u2019m not usually winning in that struggle. But, there are moments when I am forced into authentic and beautiful rest. When I can sit and read and nurse my baby and accept help and take naps.<\/p>\n So, in this Lenten season, wherever each of us in our seasons of life, wouldn\u2019t it be beautiful if we prayed that God would bless to us our rest? Whatever and however that happens\u2026<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The great thing about the first few weeks after delivering a child is that no one in the world expects anything of you. In fact, people are shocked if they see you out. No one in line at Starbucks wants to be told that your kid is 5 days old. It makes them uncomfortable. (Even […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1005,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[83,112,121],"class_list":["post-1309","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-the-praying-life","tag-mama-life","tag-rest","tag-spiritual-practice"],"yoast_head":"\n
\n The earth beneath my foot,<\/em>
\nBless to me, O God,<\/em>
\n The path whereon I go; <\/em>
\nBless to me, O God,<\/em>
\n The thing of my desire,<\/em>
\n Thou Evermore of evermore.<\/em>
\nBless Thou to me my rest.<\/em><\/p>\n
\n Whereon is set my mind,<\/em>
\nBless to me the thing<\/em>
\n Whereon is set my love;<\/em>
\nBless to me the thing<\/em>
\n Whereon is set my hope;<\/em>
\n O Thou King of kings<\/em>
\n Bless thou to me mine eye! <\/em>(91)<\/p>\n