It’s been an amazing year for our family as we have walked through our third pregnancy (second live birth) and welcomed our second son. There is nothing quite like new life to change your perspective and also keep you humble! We have been through a lot leading up to this and are now enjoying this older baby phase. I love ages six to ten months! Our little guy is coming up on seven months this weekend, and I just can’t believe it!

If you take a look around at my blog, you will see that it has been quite a while since I have last written. I think I was hugging a toilet bowl the last time I wrote (thank you, baby A!) and decided I would sit out until after he was born… I just didn’t think it would take this long, but more on that later. I do very much enjoy encouraging others in this space, so here I am again.

Spring is hopefully around the corner, and since I last wrote, we have seen summer, fall, and what I’m hoping is nearing the end of winter! So too, have we walked through the seasons in our family. End of pregnancy brought some sleepless nights, growing pains for all, and lots of quick meals. Early newborn life brought more sleepless nights, but so many cuddles, copious help from friends, community, church and family, gifts, meals, prayers….in a word, abundance! Winter settled in and that brought some challenges as it is quite the busy time for my husband, and our reinforcements started fading away. However, my beloved mother’s helper, as well as a mature retired mom (and again, lots of prayer!) has seen us through. I must also mention that I have the world’s most patient and servant-minded husband who has done more than his share of diapers and dishes!

The deepest desire of my heart is that I could encourage other women in this Lenten season to find rest. Similar to the Christmas season, it is easy to make this another “try hard” season. Spring cleaning, decluttering, Easter gifts, Spring break plans, and spiritual preparations during Lent, as well as more gatherings with friends and family, and it is understandable why summer beach vacations bring a sigh of relief! Let’s all just make it to the end of the school year, right? I suppose I didn’t even touch on all the school activities that you may be doing with your kids. Perhaps you find yourself wondering how you will make it through this demanding time of year. I know I have had many seasons like that!

As I look back on those hard seasons in my life, I realize that sometimes I chose rest, and other times I chose to “try harder,” the latter coming with poor results. I believe this newborn stage of Baby A’s life has gone well thanks to God’s grace, but also because of the choice to rest. With much help and prayer, I have let the laundry go most days, dishes have piled up, calls have gone unanswered, and emails not returned. Perhaps that would sound like defeat to you. However, given the fact that postpartum was ten times as hard with Big Brother, I must gather that the choice to rest has made an impact.

Whatever is on your plate right now, might I encourage you to set aside what feels most urgent, and look to God for rest and help in Him? It can be a colossal feat to find even a few minutes to reflect and regroup at the end of a busy day, but in those moments of honesty with ourselves, God, and those we love, we can find peace. Choosing to rest in the knowledge that we are known and loved by God, no matter what our homes (or other performance area) may look, will bring long-lasting benefits. Peace and joy be yours, my friend. New life in Christ can be yours!

Isaiah 30:15: This is what the Sovereign LORD, the Holy One of Israel, says: “In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength, but you would have none of it.