There’s nothing like holding a sleeping newborn. I’m not a mother yet myself, however, every time a friend or team member has a baby, I am eager to have some cuddle time. And I’m not the only one; mothers, college students, and even children are all vying for a moment with the baby. When the sleeping baby is in your arms, it feels like the whole world slows down. You take a deep breath and the warmth of their body feels like a security blanket. You feel their delicacy and recognize the need to protect them by simply being still.

We can’t go and hold a baby every time things around us seem to get chaotic or anxiety starts to seep into our lives, although I wish we could. But we can learn something from the sleeping infant. The baby can’t do anything for themself practically, but just by being they contribute to our lives. Even as they rest, we enjoy them. We never question their value just because they aren’t working a nine-to-five job or they aren’t doing something to please us.  

Psalm 127:1-2 is a reminder to stop our striving and working from a place of obligation and recognize that God gives His beloved rest. We are loved and valued and accepted as we rest in the arms of the Father. So often we do things that He never asked of us because we feel we need to prove ourselves to Him or to others. We’re reminded in these verses that this toiling is in vain.  

First and foremost, we are loved and cherished by our Father. As we grow up in that revelation we begin to act out of that place of rest to partner with Him. Let’s stop working for love and start working from the place of knowing Love in our rest.