Sunday dawns bright and early. I spend the next couple of hours chasing about my brood preparing them for church. I neglect to take the time to feed myself and feel myself getting more and more frustrated while the minutes tick by. We either leave just in the nick of time or on the verge of lateness which adds to the frustration. The rest of the morning is spent in a silent fight for my life as I try to keep a raggle taggle 1 year from her escape artist ways. By the time we get home it’s quite passed lunch. Said 1 year old is in need of a nap and so is her mother. However, the rest of the family as this odd habit of eating three times a day. To make anything means another half hour minimum before the Hangry monster is finally squelched. Needless to say the “day of rest” is far from restful. And a few cardinal sins may have been committed in the process.

This use to me my norm and parts of it may still happen. But I was sick of this narrative for my Sunday. I was feeling like I never got a break. I wasn’t treating my family well because of it. Does this sound familiar? God was very clear in the Old Testament about having a day of rest. While we aren’t under the old testament laws anymore we should still take counsel from them.

How to change the narrative? One might simply give up the notion of church going but for other reasons that is very important. It took me many years to realize I had to prepare for rest. It’s not just going to come about without meaningful preparation. It’s a simple enough idea. Putting it into practice however can be a challenge.

Where to start – Food

The most time consuming thing for me is food preparation. Especially if I’m not home, like on a Sunday morning. So my bare bone basic requirement is at least to have a plan as to what to make. My ideal though is to have Sundays food cooked on Saturday. For this a pot of soup is excellent and easy. Although just about anything that can be rewarmed will do. Crockpot/ instant pot meals can be quite handy also.

The other part of food that can be easily over looked, at least by myself, is breakfast. In the rush to get everyone ready, taking time to prepare a wholesome breakfast doesn’t always work. This does not aid the “hangry” that takes over later. For me having something to grab as we run out the door has worked out. Like homemade granola bars, or muffins, or a breakfast pudding.

Everything in it’s place

I don’t know about you but for me if I’m sat staring at all my “jobs” I’m not likely to feel very restful. In a perfect world the house would be in pristine condition but a lived in house will never be pristine. I’ve also noticed because the kitchen is the center of home if it’s clean the rest of the house doesn’t feel so bad. So my short order list of things I like to have done is the following; Laundry, floors, clean kitchen, clean bathroom. This is where living in a tiny house shows it’s perks. It doesn’t usually take to terribly long to get things ship shape. Sometimes however the laundry just doesn’t get folded. So instead of stressing about it, tucking it out of sight is the way to go. Sometimes all the dishes from the night before don’t get done. Just do enough so it doesn’t feel overwhelming for the next morning. Sometimes all the bathroom gets is a quick wipe down instead a proper cleaning. The idea is to simply make the space you’ll be resting in restful.

Letting Go of Perfection

If you been trying to do it all and feeling the burn out, you need this rest more than ever. To make this successful rest, however, putting our ideals aside can be needed. While you rest the house will get messy again. That’s a fact. Learning to be okay with that is important. You can whip it back to shape after you’re done with rest. Or maybe there other members of the family living in the home that are capable of helping out.

A lot of pressure is put on moms and homemakers to produce perfection while doing all the things. It’s just not sustainable. Ever family has different needs and goals. As the homemaker of your home you need to make sure your ideals suit your family NOT society. Sometimes the things that take our time both inside and outside the home need to be adjusted. Sometimes we need to ask for help, or say no to things, or change up our routines to adjust for the changes we need to make. You may feel guilt over it but our first job as homemakers is to put our families first. Other commitments are a lovely bonus.

For example I taught a Sunday School class for many years with my little ones in tow. I did for the most part enjoy doing it. I liked it for the creative outlet it was. As my family kept growing though and other needs at home arose, doing it put more strain on my family than the good it was doing for others. So I made the decision to stop. I felt a lot of guilt over it because it was hard to find a replacement and I had put a lot of effort into it over the years. It was very hard to let it go. But as a result my focus could be on my family and I have seen the benefits of that.

I hope these thoughts might be some what useful to you. While I have picked Sunday for my day of rest maybe a different day of the week better suits your needs. Your list of preparations may look different than mine. Your ideals and goals will be different. Your version of rest will even look different than mine. Basically, stop wearing yourself thin and rest like we are told to do.

Prepare for rest.