Back in the 1970s, McDonald’s ran a series of television commercials around the jingle, You deserve a break today, which targeted the idea that busy moms and families had earned the privilege of letting someone else make dinner. The ads showcased the cleanliness of the restaurants and the convenience of food you didn’t have to prepare for yourself. It was brilliant, and I can still hum that familiar song today. Aside from the catchy tune, I find the message of those commercials as relevant today as they were intended to be back then. Perhaps more so, given how busy everyone seems to be, whether stay-at-home-mamas or families with kids in various activities or working mamas or just people in general, parents or not.
I don’t know whether I’d say we deserve a break, but I believe we definitely need one, probably more that we know or even realize. But we are not a culture that favors breaks and we rarely make them a priority. And yet, we should. In fact, for me, resting (or taking a break) was modeled by the Creator Himself and is also a command from that same God. And yet, admittedly, I have not always allowed myself the respite I know I need, that God intends me to take, and that I tend to crave more than I am willing to admit, even to myself sometimes. Maybe that’s why He uses my teenagers to remind me that rest is an important part of each day.
Whether it is in their offer to help me with a task set before me—like laundry or preparing food or sorting through books or other items around the house—or it is in a reminder more direct and obvious—you know, you can take a break or you don’t always have to be doing something—these two girls tend to provide nudges I believe originate in the realm of the divine. Their words prompt my spirit to take a moment, to breathe deeply a few times, and to plan some time to sit and regroup in mind, body, and spirit. When I do this, when I take time for myself, I am a better parent for my teenagers, but I am also a better version of myself. With rest, I am able to clear my mind and think better. Even more, I am able to plan bigger, to find my way into God’s plans for my life.
While I tend to do this on my own, it is still not something I always prioritize. Therefore I appreciate my girls’ reminders to rest and their offers to lend me a hand because these encourage me to take time for myself. They open my eyes to the divine suggestion, or command, God gave each of us and even showed us how to do by His own actions. We are not intended to be in motion all the time after all. And whether or not we deserve a break as McDonald’s suggests, I do know we are created for equal parts work and rest. And so, in rest I shall find the peace I crave.