Rush: Five Minute Friday

It has been a crazy long time since I have participated in the linkup. (Blogger actually emailed me today to see if I still wanted to receive comment notifications on my blogs. That's a warning sign.)
The last FMF prompt I wrote on was May 6.
Since then, I have been down and am now back at level, working on getting back up.
God has been doing so much in me, carrying it on to completion and it's still a work in progress, but mostly He has been working out that word "Rest" that I received at last year's Five Minute Friday retreat.
As I prayed all summer about this year's oneword365 (google it. I do mine Sept-Aug instead of Jan-Dec), I had lots of ideas, but the consistent one was the word "All". As in "you can have it all" (google that song!), "I surrender all", and most recently, Jennifer Dukes Lee's book, "It's All Under Control".
Now that the back story has caught you up to date, it's time for this week's Five Minute Friday prompt and linkup.
Here's the link to Five Minute Friday.
The prompt this week is "Rush".

The first thing I thought of when I saw that prompt was the song "Breathe" that starts out really fast and then slows down on the Chorus. "Breathe, just breathe, Come and rest at my feet. And be, just be,
Chaos calls but all you really need is to just breathe." (Breathe, by Jonny Diaz)

I have been rushing so much. Rushing my kids out the door, constantly feeling the pressure of having to be somewhere on time has led to a high level of stress. Kids operate at a slower pace when they are in the primary grades. My oldest is usually ready on time and is entering middle school.
It's funny that I can't even remember what life was like when she was the one entering second grade and her youngest sister was still in preschool. That was my first year as a working mom.

Rapidly
Underappreciating
Sitting
Here




Martha was in a rush. Mary was not.
Somehow I crossed that line of "being busy means I am balanced and under control."
Instead, I'm overwhelmed by all the wonderful things I am doing for God, trying to make sure He really loves me.
Friends, that's not Jesus and that's not Grace. That's insecurity and Satan's spinning all the plates you're holding.
I am so encouraged to be reading "It's All Under Control." It officially releases September 18, but you can pre-order it now and get the first three chapters instantly in digital form. You also get a couple other freebies.
This book will help you to quiet yourself, to slow down, to have the "light and easy" yoke that He offers us instead of all the extra hitches we've put on ourselves.
If you're like me and tired of feeling the rush, maybe this book will also help you.

From "It's All Under Control" by Jennifer Dukes Lee

It's so great to be back with all of my Five Minute Friday friends! I've missed you and really needed to plug in this summer, but I was in a deep retreat, and it's finally time to surface again. :)

~Tammy