Today was a busy, crazy day. Mondays ususlly are. I had a meeting at one branch in the morning, then drove to the next branch to finish up my day and attend another meeting. Throughout the day I'm making contact with volunteers for patient visits this week, and attempting to make other contacts for presentations, and trying to catch up on documentation and paperwork. Meanwhile, I've got to prepare for 2 presentations and 2 other meetings this week. Needless to say, a lot is going on. After work I run to get Ryan before daycare closes, drop off some stuff for a friend who is getting settled into her new place, the drive to the Albertville branch to drop off goody bags and supplies for the morning's presentation. By this time it's almost 7, I'm exhausted, and while Ryan is being good, I know the kid has got to be hungry. So we do what any family on the go does....we stop at a cheap fast food place to get a quick hot meal.
After getting our order and sitting down to eat, we hear a loud crash outside. Everyone in the dining area turns to look, and there are 3 cars stopped in the intersection. Two other motorists get out of their cars to approach the wreck, and stand next to the cars until all the first responders arrive. Thankfully no one was seriously hurt, but this intersection was our way out. So we were stuck until the wreck was cleared. As I watched the traffic come to a stand still and back up on the highway, I knew we were going to be camping out awhile.
This was not in my plan.....I needed to get home to pick up the mess of toys, do the dishes that have been piled up in the sink since last week, and run a load of laundry from the pile that's already gotten too big. But that wasn't going to happen today. I could have gotten mad about it, or I could have enjoyed the forced rest stop and spend some time with my boy. I looked at Ryan, who was eating his fries, and I thought, this is a kid who needs to be surprised with some ice cream.
After I noticed he was done eating his supper, I just said real casual-like, "You want some ice cream?" His face lit up like Christmas morning and he shouted, "Yaaaaaay!" So I got 2 scoops and we shared a bowl of ice cream. And I witnessed a first for my son.....he actually used a spoon instead of his fingers!! That is a big deal, because he has always refused utensils because he gets frustrated with them.
The whole experience left me thinking......how often do we just push and push and run and run, when God is calling us to rest? How often do we push Him aside, to get our to-do list done, instead of taking our to-do list to Him and letting Him plan out our time for us. He calls us to different seasons that are fast-paced and others that are slow-paced, but in either season He still wants us to recognize the times and blessings of rest we need. We would be more effective for the kingdom of God if we took those opportunities to rest and soak Him in, instead of putting us in situations where we are forced to rest, where we have no other choice but to rest and be still.That may also be a sign of spiritual maturity and growth.....hearing and responding to the voice of God calling you to rest.