It is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late.

Psalms 127:2

Every Mother’s Day some well-meaning  pastor reads the section on the virtuous woman from Proverbs 31.  No doubt you have sat in the congregation and gritted  your teeth as this woman’s many accomplishments were extolled. Verses like “She also rises while it is yet night” [v. 15] seem guaranteed to lay a guilt trip on any woman.

But nowhere does this passage say that the woman  accomplished all  her feats in a dayor even a year! In light of the entirety of Scripture, I am certain she did it in the  appropriate seasons, in accordance with her family’s needs and her gifts and energies. To accomplish what she did, she must  have known the value of rest.

Rest is so important for human beings that God made it the basis of the fourth commandment. When we don’t take time to be refreshed, little issues  become big issues, and problems mount. The warning signs that  we have been overdoing it are chronic fatigue, apathy, and the inability to make it through the day without caffeine. In our fast-paced, overstimulated world, it’s easy to experience one or more of these symptoms. That’s why our Lord tells us to get some rest. It’s part of His plan for even the most accomplished woman.

Prayer:  Lord, give me the good sense to know when I am tired. At those times help me to leave my cares in your loving arms.