“Come with Me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.” — Mark 6:31
Motherhood is beautiful.
It is also loud, messy, demanding, emotional, and nonstop.
School is out or nearly out for most. Sometimes the hardest part isn’t the laundry or the dishes or the schedules. Sometimes it’s the feeling that your mind never stops running. Even when the house finally quiets down, your thoughts are still racing through tomorrow’s to-do list.
Many Moms think rest only means sleep. But true relaxation is deeper than that.
Relaxing can look like:
- a quiet cup of coffee before the house wakes up
- sitting outside in the sunshine for ten minutes
- worship music while folding laundry
- putting your phone down long enough to breathe
- laughing with your kids instead of rushing them
- opening your Bible before opening social media
Rest is not laziness.
Rest is renewal.
Even Jesus stepped away to rest.
Throughout Scripture, Jesus regularly withdrew from the crowds to pray, breathe, and spend time with His Father. He ministered to people constantly, yet He still made time to pause.
If Jesus needed moments of rest, we do too.
As Moms, we often wait for a vacation, a free weekend, or a different season of life before we allow ourselves to slow down. But most Moms know that season may never magically appear. Realistic rest happens in moments — small moments intentionally protected throughout the day.
Not hours.
Not perfection.
Just a moment.
5 Realistic Ways Moms Can Find Rest
1. Start with 15 Quiet Minutes
Before the demands of the day begin, take 15 minutes just for you and Jesus.
Not to scroll.
Not to clean.
Not to answer messages.
Sit with your coffee. Read a devotional. Listen to worship music. Step outside and breathe fresh air.
Fifteen quiet minutes can completely shift the tone of your day.
2. Put Down the Phone for a Little While
Sometimes our minds are exhausted not because life is too full — but because our brains never get quiet.
The constant notifications, comparison, news, and scrolling leave Moms mentally drained.
Try setting aside one small pocket of the day where your phone stays down:
- during lunch
- outside with the kids
- after dinner
- before bed
Your soul needs silence sometimes.
3. Let One Thing Wait
This one is hard.
There will always be another load of laundry. Another dish. Another errand.
Rest sometimes means giving yourself permission to say:
“This can wait.”
The world will not fall apart if you sit down for 10 minutes.
You do not have to earn rest by finishing everything first.
4. Invite Jesus Into the Ordinary
Rest doesn’t always happen in perfect quiet.
Sometimes it happens while stirring soup at the stove.
Sometimes it happens during a walk with a stroller.
Sometimes it happens in the carpool line.
Talk to Jesus throughout your day. Worship while you work. Thank Him in the middle of the chaos.
Peace is not found in perfect circumstances.
Peace is found in His presence.
5. Choose Enjoyment Without Guilt
Moms are often excellent caretakers for everyone except themselves.
What is something small that brings you joy?
- flowers on the table
- reading a chapter of a book
- sitting in the sunshine
- a favorite candle
- a slow cup of coffee
- baking with your children
- a walk at sunset
God created beautiful things for us to enjoy too.
You are allowed to enjoy your life while you are living it.
A Gentle Invitation to Change
Maybe today you feel stretched thin.
Maybe your body is tired, but even more than that — your heart is tired.
This is your reminder that you do not have to keep running at full speed every moment of every day.
Start small.
Choose one moment this week to slow down intentionally.
Just fifteen minutes.
Not because everything is finished.
Not because you finally “earned” it.
But because your mind, body, and soul matter too.
Jesus is not asking you to do motherhood perfectly.
He is inviting you to come close, breathe deeply, and rest in Him.
Friend, if you give a Mom a minute…
sometimes that minute becomes the beginning of healing.