I ran away from home last week. My friends, Paula and Joan, ran away with me.

We rented a pontoon boat and loaded it down with snacks, sunscreen, books, towels, water, and ice.

We barely pulled away from the dock before we plopped our tired selves on those hot, clammy cushions.

Joan was the captain and she steered us into that blue water far from the less-than-smooth-sailing we call our lives! It was a party in slow motion… 3 frazzled 40-something’s (or maybe 50-something’s) out boating!

So, here we were… slathered with sunscreen, decked out in our comfortable, practical, slightly middle-aged looking Lands End swim suits, collapsed on the warm sticky seats of the pontoon like we had just come out of battle!

We were tired. Worn out.

Even fulfilled women get fatigued.

Even happy women feel haggard.

We ran away from home for a day on Table Rock Lake because we needed rest and restoration!

Once we were safely in the middle of nowhere, confession time began.

• “I hope I’m doing the right thing with….”
• “I wish I could repeat that parenting moment… I would have done it differently.”
• “I wonder if things will ever change…”

As we unloaded our bags, we unloaded our hearts.

Every time one of us unloaded a burden, another of us would pick it up and carry it for a while. We laughed, prayed, and rested.

As I spilled my guts and listened to my dearest friends spill theirs, it was obvious that we all wrestle with the same insecurities, fears, regrets, and faith. I thought how very alike we all are. I bet if your sunscreened legs were stuck to one of those pontoon cushions along with ours that day, you would be saying the same kinds of things, right?

So, here is what I say to all the Paula and Joan’s out there… here is what I say to me, to you, to all the worn out women:

You can’t see it now, but every day you touch eternity.

• When you wipe a runny nose, you teach compassion.
• When you boil the noodles or wash the lettuce for dinner, you nourish the spirit of your family.
• When you patiently endure being overlooked or undervalued, you make your identity in Christ more visible.
• When you help a child with math homework, you help add confidence to a young soul who will grow up to solve real problems in the real world.
• When you smile at the woman at work who is rude to you, you prove your own worth.
• When you make endless stops shuttling kids to school, soccer practice, ballet lessons, or doctor appointments you are making steady investments into little souls who will make a big difference in our world.
• When you lose sleep to comfort another, you are giving security and peace to someone who will eventually give it to another.
• When you lay down your need to be seen so someone else can shine, you lift the low self-esteem of that friend who is down on herself and under condemnation.
• When you want to give up or give in and you don’t, you give this world what we need most, an example of a woman who knows who she is!

You may be a worn out woman who sometimes wants to run away from home, but worn out women run straight into the strong arms of Jesus and find their strength right there. Besides, when you want to run away from home and run to Jesus instead you run home… to your true home.

Lord through all the generations you have been our home! (Psalm 90:1)

Mama, you matter!
Woman, you are a wonder.
Sister, you are the secret sauce that makes every moment sweeter.

So, if you need to run away for a day, run into the strong arms of Jesus.

He is your strength when you are weary. He is your safe place when you are insecure. He is the One who makes it well with your soul even when it isn’t well with your circumstances!

Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28)

Question: When was the last time you felt like running away? Did you find God there waiting for you?