R&R

Proverbs 31:13 "She selects wool and flax and works with eager hands"

I want to add onto Proverbs 31:13 with a very important tip. In order to work every day with an eager attitude, there is one VERY important thing to remember to fit into your day: REST.

If you are working a full time job, plus coming home to a family, preparing a meal for a family, cleaning up after a family, being there for them, comforting them, teaching them, etc….that can all wear a person out. How productive can a woman really be if she’s got no energy to take care of her family plus work a job (if she has one)?

Sometimes we can feel bad or discouraged if we take a break from working or taking care of the family to rest, as if it means we can’t handle it all or makes us feel like less of a woman somehow. But God doesn’t condemn rest. After all, God created a day of rest, the Sabbath day. He wouldn’t have created it if he didn’t think we needed it. Resting or taking a break doesn’t make you lazy, it just recharges you so you can go tackle your next load of work whether it be another work shift, another job, another load of laundry, giving the kids a bath, etc.

This can sometimes be a hard lesson to learn, as I am finding out. Now I may not be married, with kids, but I am out in the working field. A few months ago, I was dealing with some stomach pain, so I called my doctor up to try and find out what might be wrong with me. My doctor thought it might be an ulcer so encouraged me to start taking some medicine to help that go away and heal itself. As I was taking the medicine each morning, the pain went away and I sort of forgot about it. Then after one long day of working, I came home with a terrible stomach pain and light-headedness. After dealing with that for a day and a half I then decided to take myself into the hospital to get checked out. The doctor in the ER told me it was more than likely Gastritis, which is when the lining of your stomach is inflamed due to stress. My doctor asked me if I was overly stressed at the time, I explained what I do for a living and that from time to time, yes, it can be stressful but nothing I don’t think I can handle. My doctor then asked me if I was taking some time for myself. At the time, I thought I was! I had my coping skills that I resorted to each week: swimming, hot tub time, or time with friends. My doctor then said, “Are you doing something for yourself EVERY DAY?” That I couldn’t necessarily answer because I didn’t think I was.

Unlike most people, it’s hard for me to just leave my work at the office, especially since my office is at home. I do in-home counseling for children and families, so often my work comes home with me. I do my casenotes at home and all my paperwork at home, so it’s hard to just “leave it at the office” as some people do. So I found myself not letting things go at the end of the day, I would continue to think about that one stressful case in the day or what more I could do for a client if I felt like things weren’t handled well during the session. It was almost like I was working 24/7 (except for when I was sleeping). Do you see where the problem is?? I wasn’t getting that one important thing God expects us to get….REST.

So naturally, my body was getting warn out from the lack of rest and the stomach pain was my body’s way of telling me to REST. Take it easy. Let it go. Let go and Let God! That can be a hard skill to master…I’m afraid I will never master it actually. I tend to over think things, or over analyze the situation.

So what’s the key to being an eager worker? REST. Find a coping skill that relaxes you, recharges you, and puts you at peace. It’s not just scheduling something relaxing in every weekend, but every day. What can you do every day? You shouldn’t be anticipating something relaxing every weekend or the next extended holiday weekend, you need to be doing something daily so you can wake up the next day and tackle it all over again. Right now I am trying to get out and work out more (easier said than done), I would like to be running at least once a day or at least walking once a day. Every week I go to the beach at least once which is my happy place, my chance to relax, recharge, and feel at peace with things. It’s where I do my deepest thinking and it’s where I feel most at peace. I talk to a different friend almost every day of the week. I will randomly schedule in “ice cream runs” once a week which helps too. Sometimes I will take a bath to relax. I also love to just sit on the porch with my latest book and read for an hour. Find what works for you, though. If you truly want to be the best wife you can be, the best mother you can be, and the best at your job…you need to make sure you are taking that time to REST.

When you add REST into the equation, your “eager hands” will be more of a blessing to everyone around you, therefore fulfilling that Proverbs 31 Woman role more successfully.

Love Always,

Stefanie :)