Does a vacation equal rest?

We're on our way to Ohio for a little family reunion this weekend. It's been too long since I've seen my brother and sister. I can't wait to smooch and tickle their little boys, go for a long walk with my sister, watch my mom do crafts with the toddlers and eat some of my brother's good cookin. But honestly, one of the things I'm looking forward to the most is having 7 other adults around to watch the kids. I hope to take an hour or two and go out into the green sunny world all by myself. No reading, no talking, no TV or radio, no one jumping into my lap. Just quiet. Time to think, time to talk to God. To just be. To rest.


I feel WEARY. Not tired or exhausted. It's deeper than not getting enough sleep at night. I feel distanced from God, distanced from my husband. I feel overwhelmingly intertwined with two little lives. I know they need me, and I delight in them. But my energy is drained. Brian tells me to go lay down for 10 min. and he'll watch the kids. I'm not the "lay down for 10 minutes" type of person. That actually stresses me out more because I lay there thinking about all the things that I should be doing. Is resting a skill that requires practice? Because I don't have it!

Weary 1: exhausted in strength, endurance, vigor, or freshness 2: expressing or characteristic of weariness 3: having one's patience, tolerance, or pleasure exhausted

Do you not know? Have you not heard? The LORD is the
everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will
not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can
fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of
the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young
men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the LORD will renew their
strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and
not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.
Isaiah 40:28-33 (NIV)

I looked at an on-line Bible concordance for the word "weary". I got the most bang for my buck with this passage in Isaiah. That's 3 wearys! First one is talking about God, who never feels weary. The second says that even young ones get tired, so I shouldn't feel surprised at feeling this way. The third one is what I need to hear. If I hope in the Lord, I will get strength. If I hope, I will not become weary. HOPE. I can do that.