Limp with exhaustion, I leaned into my husband's arms and buried my face against his shoulder. "I don't want to wait ?til heaven to not be tired." This was a pattern for me as I zealously strove to minister across the continent to women.

As women in ministry, the demand will always exceed the supply. There will always be far more ministry than we can accomplish personally. But even more importantly, we model the faith life, the trust life, for other women. When I read Jeremiah 50:6, addressed to the Israelites in captivity in Babylon, my heart sank to realize my own responsibility.

"My people have been lost sheep;

Their shepherds have led them astray

And caused them to roam on the mountains.

They wandered over mountain and hill

And forgot their resting place."

Who leads them astray, away from their Resting Place? Their shepherds.

In our crazy, Babylon-busy lifestyles, we unwittingly buy into the slavery of too much work and too little rest - with a result far broader than exhaustion or burnout. We can blame it on the culture, but in reality, we also teach other women to live beyond their physical means, their God-given limits.

It makes me wonder what I believe about God. Is he really my Shepherd? Can he restore my soul? Lead me beside still waters? And what about those words from Jesus: "Come to me, all you who are weary and heavy-laden?"? Was Jesus serious, and if so, why are we so weary, so heavy-laden?

What will it take to live a lifestyle of rest, despite the craziness? First, fill in the blank: "I'm SO TIRED of ______________." (laundry, e-mails, my kids, messes, work?) Keep filling it in, with the first words that come to mind. Make a list and keep it before you as you consider the following elements that comprise a Resting Place life. You may find, as I did, that you are hard of hearing.

1. Listen to your body. We tend to ignore our fatigue and short-change our sleep, living without boundaries. I gave up caffeine because I wasn't living an honest life - I had no idea what I was capable of doing without coffee, nor what God was able to do without my souped-up efforts. Gauge your fatigue level. Right now, I'm concerned about my daily tiredness and am trying to build in more sleep, better food habits, and kindness.

2. Listen to your heart. Why do you say yes when you should say no? Do you want to be loved, respected, needed, validated? Where do you feel anger, dread, fear, worry? Tune in to the telegrams your emotions send. They're God's messengers.

3. Listen to your family. Have you heard, "You're gone so much, Mom"? Or "Everyone else gets your best energy. You save nothing for me"? How about, "No one has time to listen anymore"? Do they comment on your Babylonian living, or have they given up on you? What price are they paying, are you paying, in exchange for your ministry? Our family is, as one friend in ministry told me, "our first church."

4. Listen to God. When did you last wait in silence, just breathing, letting God love you? What if you take ten minutes and cease striving, stop sending God your bullet-point prayer list, and just relax with him? No agenda, just loving and being loved. You might fall asleep - but even so, that would be a sure-fire message from your Resting Place God.

5. Listen to what you've discovered. What ONE thing will you change, eliminate, shift? All the talk in the world will not make God our Resting Place and will not keep sheep from roaming and getting lost.

The workload will always be larger than our abilities. Thankfully, the Lord never said, "You go, baby. You can do this all on your own." Rather, He said, "My grace is sufficient for you." "With you, it's impossible, but with me, all things are possible." Putting primary emphasis on God as our Resting Place, learning to listen deeply and act on what we're hearing, then even in seasons of craziness we model the most important lesson for others: Faithful is he who calls us, and he also will bring it to pass" (I Thess. 5:24).

Not me. Not you. Not working endless hours or setting a frantic pace. Only God.