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The Lipstick Gospel

Learning To Live In A Cyclone of Rest

I'm Stephanie May Wilson!

I'm an author and podcaster and my specialty is helping women navigate big decisions, life transitions — creating lives they love.

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I want to be a breath of fresh air, a crisp drink of water, a nap on a rainy day.


I want to be a place of peace—a restful retreat where you can take down your striving and expose the tender parts hidden underneath. I want to be a place that leaves you feeling cool and refreshed and like all of the beautiful things you hope for are possible.

Rest- The Lipstick Gospel


But last week, I was none of those things.


Last week was a mess. I was a cyclone of stress—sucking anyone in earshot into my complaining and frantic planning.


Emails stacked up, projects loomed closer, and plans fell through. With one hand I was shooting a video and with the other, choosing an apartment and signing a lease. And somehow I was frantically trying to scrape it all together, finally collapsing in tearful defeat.


My anxiety was contagious.


And as I tearfully apologized to the people around me, I vowed that once things settle down I’d be able to calm down a bit.


But that’s the lie… isn’t it?


“Once things settle down…”


I realized as I said it that I’ve been saying those same words my whole life.


We always have just one more thing that has to get done before we’re willing to rest—before peace is possible, before we can really breathe and enjoy the life we’re so busy building.


But it never works that way.


Because there’s always one more thing, one more thing, always one more project to get out of the way before “things will settle down.”


And that leaves us living a lie—procrastinating a full life into some undefined future without any plans for actually getting there.


And I recognized as I said it that this is just not the way I want to live.


But I didn’t have a plan.


And so on Sunday night I went to bed, making a casual note to remind myself to pray for peace.


And as I woke up the next morning and read my devotional (for the first time in weeks,) the first word that stood out was rest.


I prayed for peace that morning, just like I’d promised, and when I got to work, rest was waiting for me there too.


One of my friends walked up to me and told me that God wants me to rest, that I need peace in this season and that he’s got it all under control. And that was just the beginning.

Rest- The Lipstick Gospel


The message has been perpetuating for days—God infuriatingly calling one of the busiest seasons of my life a season of rest.


And this idea is transforming me. It’s slow going right now, but I know that he’s doing something big.


I know that life will never slow down, but he’s teaching me rest in the meantime. He’s teaching me a kind of rest that transcends finished projects, or fewer deadlines.

Rest- The Lipstick Gospel


He’s teaching me the kind of rest that comes along with things like peace and trust and faith—all lessons that so often elude me.


And so as I’m stepping into this season of rest, I want to share something with you that’s inspired me immensely.
https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/caroline-crawford-rest/id494354068?i=109920785&mt=2


It’s a podcast by my friend Caroline—one of the most gifted teachers I know.


They’re some of the wisest, and most needed, words I’ve ever heard and I am honored to get to share them with you. I hope they bring you to the rest that they're inspiring in me.


And whatever is going on in your life today—whatever brand of crazy is filling your days—I pray that you too can find a season of rest.

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  1. Lauren says:

    Thank you for sharing this. Hits the heart as I find myself saying when….a lot more than I should. God wants you to rest but He wants me to act. I keep running and doing the wrong things vs what He wants. Sharing this is a kick I need to do not keep whenning! 🙂

  2. Tanya Jacobs says:

    Thank-you so much Stephanie May!!! I’ve been so busy lately. I know this was for me! I haven’t been spending time with my Lover and I missed Him very much. Today I woke up early to spend time with Him and I am hoping to keeping it like this. I encourage you to continue being used by God! You are a wonderful role model. Blessings,Tanya from Belize.

    ________________________________

  3. With two kids, full-time job, school, house chores, blog, I totally get needing some time to rest. While I’m not always great with taking time for some rest I do some day’s follow a Brad Paisley way of thinking about rest and time well wasted.

    “It was time well wasted,
    And there’s no way I’d trade a few more things that I could’ve crossed off my list,
    For a day that I’ll never forget.
    No, I didn’t get a thing done
    But I sure soaked up every minute of the memory we were makin’,
    And I count it all as time well wasted.”

  4. Allison says:

    Stephanie,
    This post is fantastic, thank you for sharing. I’m learning how to rest in this during this season too and hopefully it will help for the future.

  5. K Marchetti says:

    “The message has been perpetuating for days—God infuriatingly calling one of the busiest seasons of my life a season of rest.”
    Timing is everything, and I read this in the midst of chaos. The blessing of a new job, quickly followed by the panic of trying to find a place to live and move to a new city in less than a week. A much needed reminder that peace wasn’t meant to work around our schedules. Thank you!

  6. Lena Nou says:

    I been having a week like that also. I learned it when one day everything was going wrong. I got up spent my time with God, then procceded to bake for a ladies pinic at my house. The choclate chips cookies were totally melting. The eggbake crust totally did not flake. I took a breath and my friend called and she asked what I was learning. I had recently just come off a fast and during that fast I had had many weak moments where I then learned to just lean on the Lord and ask for strenght and He would give me burst of engery and rest to accomplish my endeavors. I realized then my whole life should be like that, not just when I’m fasting. So I surrendered my weakenesses in the day to the Lord. He gave me insight to put the cookie dough in a pan to bake into bars. The eggbake turn out to be a complete hit without the crust on. God taught me to trust Him with my imperfections.. to find rest with His strength. Your blog reminds me to keep finding that rest in this busy season. 🙂

  7. Katie Cook says:

    Stephanie, this is absolutely beautiful and so so true. Resonated in my heart today:) I’m just about to send you an email darlin!!! Love Katie

  8. Lauren Tien says:

    I love how you described it as a cyclone of stress. Because, truly, it does suck in others and kick loose the dirt along the way, making life messy. I’m so glad you found rest and shared this part of your week with us– I too, needed that reminder. Thank you for the encouragement, Stephanie!

  9. […] Learning To Live In A Cyclone of Rest | The Lipstick Gospel […]

  10. […] LOVED this podcast by Caroline, recommended by Stephanie in her post about rest. As you start this new week, do check out both of these lovely messages – they’ve […]

  11. […] you’ve been reading The Lipstick Gospel for a while, you’ve heard me mention chaos. This season has been one of plans to make and boxes to check and errands to run. It’s been one […]

  12. Thanks so much for this. I needed it this morning!

  13. Noe says:

    Learning the same thing here…gods speaking this to His body in this season. Some thoughts-rest, it’s being in his will, which is being then in His peace. It’s not things being okay or right or peaceful according to our ways or will. His way will and voice is being in peace, even if it runs our way the wrong way. A partial thought 🙂

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