A Devotional for Rest, With a 10 Minute Journaling and Drawing Prompt
The day is over, and the list is not. The dishes are still there, the phone is still lit, and your shoulders are somewhere near your ears.
You are welcome here, just as tired as you are.
You do not have to fix the day. You do not have to earn the evening. You only have to stop for ten minutes.
One verse to sit with
"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest" (Matthew 11:28, NIV).
Read it slowly, twice. Notice which word you stop on. For some of us it is "weary." For others it is "give."
Rest in this verse is not something you earn. It is offered.
Take your time with it. Let the verse do the work, and let yourself be held for a few minutes.
Why a pencil helps
When you are worn out, you do not need another thing to accomplish. You need a way to be still that does not feel like doing nothing.
A pencil and a blank page can be that. Your hands have something gentle to do, and your heart has room to settle. If you want more ideas like this, I shared seven of them in Art as Prayer: 7 Simple Creative Practices.
The 10 minute journaling and drawing prompt
If a voice says "I can't do art," here is my answer: You can't do art wrong. This is your art and your vision.
You need one pencil and one sheet of paper. A napkin works too.
Set a timer for ten minutes. Turn your phone face down.
Write the verse at the top of the page.
Journal one honest sentence. It can be as simple as, "Lord, I am tired."
Draw what today felt like. Lines, shapes, scribbles, a small scene. Heavy and dark is fine. Soft and light is fine.
In the last two minutes, draw one small thing that stands for rest. A bench, a window, an open hand, a star.
Under it, finish this sentence: "Rest looks like"
What to expect
You may feel nothing special. That is fine. Many people notice the stillness afterward more than the page. Come back tomorrow night and see what is different.
Keep the rhythm
Rest does not have to be a one-time thing. The Mosaic Mail Club is a gentle rhythm to return to once a month: a print, a devotional, Scripture, and a prompt like this one. Come exactly as you are.
If you would like a piece of art to look at while you rest, the Shop prints are there for you.
Related reading: Five Short Journaling and Creative Prompts for a Busy Week and How to Start Scripture Journaling: A Beginner's Guide
Blessings, Erin
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