Learning to Rest...

It is hard for a child to want to rest. There are so many things Noah would rather do. Today was a test of my patience as I sent him back to bed time and time again for over an hour. "Maybe he's just not tired," I found myself thinking. But that wasn't it. I knew he was tired from his red eyes and the way he was breathing. He was fighting it...fighting what was best for him. After trying just about everything I could think of to get him to sleep, I nearly gave up. I was walking him to the couch to put something on t.v. when I spotted the rocking chair. It doesn't get much use these days. He's getting a little too old for it. But I thought maybe this called for a good lullaby. I held him to me, covered him with a blanket and began singing "Moon River." By the time I got to "we're after the same rainbows end" his breathing was heavy; "waitin' round the bend"- his arms went limp; "my huckleberry friend"- his eyes were closed; "Moon River and me."- his mouth was wide open. I sang another song, just to make sure he was really out, picked him up (no small task as he is 44 lbs.) and laid him on his bed.

I'm pretty good at fighting God over what's best for me. Just like Noah, I think I have a better way to spend my time. I fight His will for so long that it exhausts me, too. Does God ever come close to giving up on me? Not so, I'm told. Still, I wonder if there are times when he thinks, "Would she just quit whining and give in already?" I'm sure if I would just rest in him, I would find great satisfaction in His plan for me. But I am as childlike as my Noah, and I'm not sure I'll learn that lesson anytime soon.

He only slept an hour...but what a difference an hour of needed rest makes...for both of us.