rest for the weary.

last week i talked about my word for 2014. 

rest. 

i really don't want that to sound lazy. because that's not at all how i mean. 

i truly mean that i need to rest. to be a better wife. mom. friend. daughter. i need rest. it's the way that God designed it. and i have not been doing it. not well, at least. 

i've found that somewhere along the way "doing" became an act of worship. which is fine.... until you start to worship the doing. right? when busyness becomes an idol. when it makes you feel important to have a lot to do. when you almost thrive on being stressed out. 

now - let me qualify my use of the word thrive. 

because i know people who really are at their best when there's a lot on their to do list. my husband is probably legitimately one of those people. 

as much as i love crossing things off my 'list' for the day, the Lord has shown me that there's too much on there in the first place. for me.... maybe not for you. 

as i've gone through the last weeks focusing on what it means to rest well and what that looks like for me there are a few simple truths i'd like to share with you. 

first // i've found that TRUE rest only comes after working HARD. 

for me, the difference between being lazy and being restful is in the working - the part before the rest {or laziness.} i've determined that if i bring my 'list' before the Lord and let Him prioritize what actually NEEDS to be done for that day, and then i work to accomplish that {and that only} then rest comes much easier after those things are done. 

which brings me to my next point //

staying on top of things. first things first and second things second. 

i've mentioned this book before, but emily starts off talking about first things vs. second things. she says {and i'm paraphrasing!} that if you put the second things first then there's usually not enough time for the first things - and you get all stressed out and frazzled about not having enough time. {can anyone picture jesse from saved by the bell getting ready for their rockstar debut of "i'm so excited" : "there's never enough time.... "} but if you put the first things first, then generally you'll have some time for the second things - second. it makes so much sense. and is such a great principle to live by when you're trying to "re-prioritize." {if i had a nickle for every time i had said that word.}

and speaking of re-prioritizing... i've come to the realization that as much as i love little branches and feel like it's a means to a deep calling from the Lord on my life, i've realized that right now it is, indeed, a second thing. my family, my marriage & my Lord are my first things. despite me trying to complicate it, often, it really is that simple. 

so, in the vein of keeping my priorities straight, i've come to the last point for today //

keeping office hours & shutting the door when they're done.

if you have any sort of lenience in your 'office hours' i know you'll totally get me on this one. {fabulous k, i know we've gone OVER and OVER this one in conversations before!!!} but this has been helping me tremendously. 

i've come up with a loose schedule for little branches that i'm very comfortable with. that i don't feel like interferes with real life and doesn't take over my kids' lives or my marriage. 

and when they're up.... and i'm done... i close the door. i turn out the lights & shut down my computer... kind of tidy up, depending on the day... and shut it down. period. 

when my husband comes home now, my studio door is shut. it's not staring in my face begging for me to come in and paint one more sign. design one more thing. research one more idea. it's done. work will be there tomorrow. as much as i love it.... it's work. and although it's very important to me, and it does come before some other things, the reality is that it's second to my first things. and i'm teaching myself to be okay with that. 

so there you have it. i'm in so deep that it's still so very hard to unwind for me. i'm still learning what it is that makes me unwind. it used to be painting, but now that's my 'job', so i'm trying to find another sort of release. remembering what it's like to create for fun - and not to sell - is a foreign concept for me right now. which is SO unfortunate and happened so quickly!!

what do you do to relax? do you read? take baths? exercise? cook? plant? 

help a girl out and give me ideas to try!!!! or crafts to make!! 

have a RESTFUL day, loves. 

xoxo.