Becky Thompson returns to Family Talk with Roger Marsh to delve into her latest book, Healing Rest. In a world filled with noise and demands, Becky offers mothers a path to peace, advocating for a spiritual reawakening grounded in faith. The conversation explores how mothers can navigate their numerous responsibilities not by worldly standards, but through a partnership with God’s love and wisdom. Becky’s guidance in mind, body, and soul health encourages a lifestyle of rest that is less about doing and more about being present in God’s comforting presence.
Hello, everyone. You’re listening to Family Talk, a radio broadcasting ministry of the James Dobson Family Institute. I’m Dr. James Dobson, and thank you for joining us for this program.
SPEAKER 01 :
Well, welcome to another edition of Family Talk, the broadcast division of the Dr. James Dobson Family Institute. I’m Roger Marsh, once again, sliding into the co-host seat for today’s conversation about a brand new book by Becky Thompson, speaker and founder of the Midnight Mom devotional online community. More than two million moms gather every night for prayer. Becky has authored several books, and her latest is called Healing Rest, an invitation for mamas who carry so much to lean into the arms of the one who holds it. And we have a link up at drjamesdobson.org. These eight books that Becky has written are all very personal. They’re very well researched and they’re very, very popular too. And Becky and her husband, Jared, have three children and make their home in Oklahoma. And it’s good to have you back, Becky Thompson. Welcome back for another day here on Dr. James Dobson’s Family Talk.
SPEAKER 03 :
Thank you, Roger. I’m looking forward to continuing our conversation.
SPEAKER 01 :
Yeah, healing rest is so important, especially when you talk about this invitation for mamas who carry so much to lean into the arms of the one who holds it. I love what you said in day one of our conversation where you’re describing, you know, Jesus saying, my yoke is easy, my burden is light. And oftentimes we think, okay, well, that means we don’t have to do anything because Jesus did it all. And we know he paid the penalty on the cross, you know, for us and our sins. Our salvation is the work that he alone did. And all we have to do is receive it. But as you talk about when we co-labor with him, that’s kind of one of the beginning places for moms to find rest, especially, isn’t it? Where we realize… Yes, there is a task. We have these children to raise. But at the same time, we understand that if we’re raising them according to God’s standard, then his yoke, his burden is going to be a perfect fit for us if we’ll just embrace it. Talk about why that’s such an important concept for moms today who have so many different influencers telling them other things and the world is messaging the daylights out of them with regard to what it means to be a quote unquote good mom.
SPEAKER 03 :
That’s so true. You know, there are so many messages coming at us about the best way to do anything when it comes to motherhood. The best way to diaper your children. Always. The best way to feed your children. The best way to school, educate, care for your children. And it continues. I just thought I’d outgrow that someday, Roger. I thought someday that choir… cacophony of motherhood voices would just be silenced and those outside influences wouldn’t matter as much. And it’s just not true. Today, even as I have these teenagers, I have so many voices telling me all the things to be worried about. All of the things to keep on guard about and how to protect them at all times and never mess anything up. And you know what? You’re always disappointing someone when it comes to listening to those outside voices. Somebody is always willing to tell you that you’re doing it wrong. And I am so grateful. So, so grateful for the word of God that is a light unto my path and helps me guide my children straight forward toward him. And I’m also grateful for the presence of the Holy Spirit who leads me by his word and by his voice. Man, there have been times, Roger, where I have gone to lift my hand and knock on that kiddo’s door and I’m frustrated or I’m discouraged or I’m about to approach that conversation with in a way that’s outside of what the Lord has for us in that exact moment. And that kindness of the Holy Spirit, the yoke that Jesus offers there to walk side by side with Him in parenting my kids. He just says, let’s just wait. Let’s just tarry for a moment until your heart is right here. And then, I mean, that’s the picture that I have. I don’t have to even go and have a conversation with my kiddos without the light of the Word. And that being yoked with the presence of the Lord in every situation that I face as a mom.
SPEAKER 01 :
Well, and that is so powerful. I think of something Dr. Dobson has said often on this program and throughout his ministry. And that’s don’t discipline when you’re angry. Don’t discipline when you’re anxious. Don’t discipline, you know. And how many times do we as parents want to rush in and correct something? And the Holy Spirit has to say, no. Not yet. The answer to your prayers is either going to be go, no, or whoa, right? You know, and then you realize that sometimes you need that spiritual whoa to take a step back and maybe not put the focus on the child at that moment, but to say, okay, mom, maybe there’s some area here where you’re a little anxious and need a little soul repair. And why don’t we get that repaired up first before you go in and attack this? And that’s kind of what you have discovered over the years of the Midnight Mom devotional that you and your mother, Susan, are I’ve been running so effectively for these two million plus women in this online community. And it’s really, soul care is important. And I realize that you mentioned in our previous conversation, when the alarms are going off, it’s very, very loving for a mom to say, for my children, I’m going to listen to these alarms.
SPEAKER 03 :
That’s exactly right. You know, the word there in scripture in Matthew 11 verses 28 through 30, where the Lord says his yoke is easy. That word easy used other places in scripture often is used for the word kind or his loving kindness. And when we think about stepping in with the Lord and walking step by step, parenting step by step, co-parenting with the creator of the universe, you know, it’s not always easy the way we define it. It’s not always simple or straightforward, but man, it is kind. It is kind of the Lord to let us walk with him. when all of the alarms in our lives are sounding. It’s kind of the Lord. In His kindness, He invites us to co-labor with Him, to lean into what He offers and find rest for our souls in that we don’t have to figure it all out on our own. We don’t have to walk through each day in our own strength, in our own power. Sometimes we want to do that, though. We want the strength Jesus offers and the control of having our own plan, our own speed, our own tempo. But when we lean into him, we find rest for all areas of our life.
SPEAKER 01 :
Let’s talk about the three big areas of impact, of course, that you address in this brand new book. We’re talking mind, body, and soul. Let’s start with the soul connection here as well, because I think a lot of times people will think, well, if I just get a nap, I’m going to be okay. You know, if I just shut off the phone for an hour, that’ll slow my mind down. But if your soul’s not at rest, you’re going to be searching and reaching out. Talk about why that’s as good a place to start for finding healing rest as any.
SPEAKER 03 :
That’s exactly it, Roger. You know, we often think if I just got a vacation or a nap or a trip to the store alone, I would be refreshed enough to return to my life. But man, if we don’t deal with that heartache that’s underlying all of it, the anxiety, the worry, the rush of life, that undercurrent, then there’s not a break long enough to heal it because only the Lord can really touch and heal that part of our hearts. Right. So in order to find that soul rest, we have to be willing to address the fact that we need it. We have to be willing to say, I think something’s off. I can’t shake this. I can’t shake the fear. I’m holding everything together. And I physically feel the impact of my soul’s desire to keep my family safe. And so for me personally, I I had to go through some really heavy stuff to learn the Lord in this way. I know we talked about on the last episode that our testimony isn’t just, you know, how we came to know Jesus, but it’s our eyewitness account of who he is in each season of our life. And I have this eyewitness understanding of seeing the Lord’s goodness, even when life isn’t good. And I know there’s a lot of moms in that space. And they’re like, tell me, Becky, tell me, Roger, how to have the world around me shift, how to have the storms calm. What do I need to do to speak to these storms around me? What steps can I take for life to change? And man, if we could find that answer, we’d be millionaires, wouldn’t we? If we could find how to stop every storm and change every windy gale to calm, beautiful day, we wouldn’t need the Lord, would we? No, but the promise of Jesus is that, you know, he says in John 16, 33, in this world, you will have trouble, but take heart. I’ve overcome the world. And also he says at the end of Psalm 91, I will be with them in trouble. And I think we miss that. We want peace to come. We want rest to come. We want our souls to be okay because life around us has shifted and all is well. But when the Lord says in this world, you will have trouble. And then he also says, I will be with you in trouble. There must be a promise in that, a truth in that that’s actually strong enough to bring healing to our souls. And so In my new book, Healing Rest, that’s what I remind the mama. That’s what I want the mom listening today to know, that Jesus does offer peace. He does offer healing rest, but it’s not only found as the storms calm. It is found primarily in the promise of the one who walks on the waves. And when our souls can rest in that, when our souls can rest in the promise that He is with us, holding us and our children, then that healing soul peace with the Lord really extends into the other areas of our life.
SPEAKER 01 :
It kind of flows from there. And it’s interesting how when you were talking about that walking through the storm moment, I kept thinking, you know, the parts of Psalm 23 that we spend so much time on, the Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me lie down and go, isn’t that great? Green pastures. And we forget, we just kind of run through the, yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil because you are with me. But green pastures, you know, and I think oftentimes as parents, especially with young kids, we want the green pastures. We want the still waters. And we don’t want to think about the fact that David says, look, we are going to walk through that valley. And the question isn’t so much, do we have to? It’s who’s with us when we do. Are we going to try to take our hand away from God like that little child does? And you know it all too well. You’re in the store saying, hold my hand. No, I can do this on my own. Right. And yet for moms, especially because, I mean, dads feel this on a whole different level than moms do. You know, I mean, let’s just call it what it is. You’re talking to moms about soul rest. You’re talking about physical rest. It says, look, if your soul is at rest, then you’ll say, you know what? I need to eat. It’s okay to have lunch. It’s okay to, you know, to make sure that I’m taken care of and not just, I can’t think of anything right now because kids, kids, kids. And talk about that physical part. Now that vacation, that day off makes a little more sense because you’re going to do it the right way.
SPEAKER 03 :
You know, I think that every person on the planet recognizes that we need to pause at some point. At some point in our day, we have to pause. But a pause can’t heal us unless we’re pausing with the Lord. I mean, it’s good to read the book. I wrote a bunch of books. Go read them. You know, it’s good to rest in your day and read a book or go for a walk or whatever. Just sit there at the park while your kids play and be on the bench and not feel like you have to have to always be going and always be doing. But to just take that minute, that’s good. But when we see that the Lord wants to meet us even there, like his presence wants to strengthen us, even as we pause and rest our bodies, it changes how we rest. You know, we might not say I’m going to rest and scroll on my phone and bring in a bunch of fear and bring in a bunch of worry and bring in a bunch of junk because sometimes that’s what shows up. Our feed can fill us with stuff that just isn’t food for our soul. But when we rest and we lean into the Lord, even in the pauses of our day, we find that we crave it more. I have found that when I eat healthier, when I eat good filling food, I actually have less of an appetite for the things that aren’t good for me. And I have more of an appetite for the things that fill me up and are actual fuel. And I believe the same is true with the word of God and with the presence of God.
SPEAKER 01 :
It’s interesting. I don’t know why you use certain terms and they don’t hit you a certain way. As you were just describing a news feed, I thought, well, isn’t that appropriate? I mean, that is the right word in English to use, but that’s what we’re feeding our souls each and every day, whether it’s disasters, car crashes or whatever. And the internet will give you whatever you have shown that you have an interest in. So they… They don’t discriminate whatsoever. But the fact that you are finding that rest in God, and you have a great quote in this book, Healing Rest, an invitation for mamas who carry so much to lean into the arms of the one who holds it. It’s a great quote about what you were just talking about where you said, we can’t just one second Jesus our way through all of our days. I love that phrase. You really ought to copyright that or whatever, because… It’s true, right? How many times do we pray that? When we were kids, it was the give me an A on the test prayer. You know, that’s my time alone with God today. But the fact that if we are desperate for finished work in our lives, we have to find moments to spend at his feet. Talk about that.
SPEAKER 03 :
That’s exactly right. You know, we have the real famous story of the two sisters, Mary and Martha, and we have Mary and she’s sitting at the feet of Jesus while he teaches. And you have Martha and she’s busy taking care of her guests. She’s doing very important work and she comes rushing into the room and she’s looking for her sister to help her. And she finds her sitting at Jesus’s feet and she doesn’t ask Jesus for help. She tells Jesus, tell her to get up to help me. That’s what the word of God says. And I have been her. I’ve been the mom that gets the trash bag and shakes it angrily, you know, like, yeah, it’s just and, you know, my family’s going, oh, mom’s frustrated that I wanted them to see the work that needed to be done and care about me enough to join me in it. So the burden wasn’t so much. And I know moms can relate to that. You know, our families see the same pile of shoes by the front door. Why does that burden of organizing them and moving them to the right rooms fall on us? Why does the overflowing trash can get overlooked? Why did all of these things that I keep an open tab in my mind about all of the time? Why don’t they care? And so sometimes we come to the Lord and we’re like, nobody cares. Surely you care. And he says the same thing to us, I think, that he says to Martha. And that is not that the work doesn’t need to be done. He doesn’t ever tell Martha, you know, you need to sit down too. He just says, Mary has discovered the more important thing and it won’t be taken away from her. I believe we could add onto that right there for even other important things. The most important thing of leaning into the Lord listening to his voice, trusting in his presence, even as all of those things need to be done, it cannot come second to it. We cannot one second Jesus our way through our day. We have to go through our life really as Mary’s and as Martha’s. It’s not a one or the other. It’s the intention of the heart like Mary as we complete the work like Martha.
SPEAKER 01 :
You know, I love the fact that you bring up Martha in a positive light, because let’s face it, you’ve heard too many Bible studies, so have I, where Mary’s the good guy and Martha, shame on Martha, don’t be so busy. Instead of saying, wait a minute, they’re both doing valuable work. But what Jesus says is Mary has made the better choice in this circumstance in terms of the priorities. And she’s not going to get frustrated. And like you said, it won’t be taken away from her. And I’m thinking in a time in Jesus’ day where women didn’t give that opportunity. And Jesus says, hey, get in here. For Martha to kind of miss that part of it while she was doing something that was, in fact, important. It shows just how nuanced this healing rest really is in terms of instead of just saying, I want, you know, just enough Jesus. What is it that Paul Harvey said? I’ll take two dollars worth of Jesus or whatever that poem was. that talks about, I want just enough to get me through whatever, but you miss all of God’s eternal everything for you if you do that. And I know we talked a little bit about this in the earlier conversation, but the science backs it up. Kind of walk us through again the the retraining of the brain that needs to happen. Because I think a lot of people think in terms of your one second Jesus means I need five daily pills or some kind of dose to treat the symptoms of this rather than to cure the disease. You’re talking about a complete rewiring of the brain, aren’t you, with this process?
SPEAKER 03 :
I am. You know, I like that you mentioned what Paul Harvey said. I wasn’t familiar with that poem, but there’s a part in Healing Rest where I talk about how sometimes we come to Jesus and we want just enough rest to get us through the day. Like it’s a sack through a drive-through window. Okay, more rest, Jesus, more peace, Jesus. And I’ll swing back around through when I need more. I know who my source is and I come to the right place for it. But we forget that rest cannot be separated from the presence of God. We cannot take it and go back to our lives. We take it and we go with him, yoked with him. His rest comes like an infusion from his heart directly into our souls. And so when we think about retraining our brain, And how science backs this, how the neural pathways in our brains are strengthened no matter what we think about. So as we go through our news feed on our phones, our social media feeds, and we have all of these facts of the world or realities of life around us, and we look at these stories, parts of our brains are actually being reinforced, growing stronger and stronger. But when we go to the word of God and we remember what the word of God says is true, as scripture says, we meditate on God’s word, on his goodness, night and day, we think on him. This doesn’t mean I walk around in my whole life with my Bible open, looking down at it. But in moments, I need to be in the word of God so that Those are the thoughts that are the truest to me. Those are the thoughts that are the strongest to me. Those are the things that I come back to when the enemy wants to whisper you’re on your own, when the enemy wants to tell me that nobody I love is ever going to be safe, when the enemy wants to convince me that I can rest when my work is done. I can remember that rest is not a reward for my finished work, but rest is a reward for Jesus’s completed work. on the cross. And so because he has offered me his presence, I can rest in him and I have to continually have his thoughts be my thoughts. And this isn’t just for my spiritual health. This is for my mental and physical health as well.
SPEAKER 01 :
Well, that’ll preach. I’m taking copious notes here on the other end as we’re talking with Becky Thompson about her brand new book called Healing Rest. Becky, what has been the most surprising thing for you as you’ve gone through this? You’ve been hearing from women that you speak to, that you interact with on social, people who aren’t doom scrolling, but actually are looking to what you’re doing as benefit to them. What’s the biggest surprise that you’ve seen from the women who are engaging with this material?
SPEAKER 03 :
You know, I think we’re all in this place together, in a sense. I have met very few women that tell me, whether I’m on the road speaking, on social media, through my online ministry or my courses, like, I haven’t I have yet to encounter a woman that says this isn’t for me. I don’t know what you’re talking about. My life is good. All of us need a reminder of what maybe we believed so easily in the beginning. You know, maybe there’s a woman and she’s saying, I’m not where I used to be. I have walked out of this heavy season. I’ve walked out of this dark season. But man, I don’t really feel safely held anymore. I want to be safely held. I want to remember what that feels like. This invitation to find healing rest is an invitation back into the arms, just like the subtitle says, an invitation to lean into the arms of the one who can hold it all. And I think… man and woman alike, mother and woman alike. We need this presence of the Lord. And so I think there are a lot of women out here in this place. And that’s what I would like to encourage a mom that’s listening right now to remember. that she’s not weak because she can’t carry it all. She’s not weak because life has really pushed her down and she was doing all the things she knew to do. And it just didn’t feel like it was enough. The Lord’s strength is made perfect in her weakness when she yields to him. And the Lord has so much healing for her. He has so much hope for her. And like I said before, she deserves to be whole. And the Lord, I believe, is calling her deeper and deeper into his love.
SPEAKER 01 :
Well, the book is called Healing Rest, an invitation for mamas who carry so much to lean into the arms of the one who holds it all. We’ve got a link for the book up at drjamesdobson.org. Becky, we really appreciate the work that you do and the valuable service that you’re providing to mamas all across the country. God’s richest blessings to you and to Jared and to your mom and everyone who’s involved in the Midnight Mom devotional ministry. Thank you so much for your time today here on Dr. James Dobson’s Family Talk.
SPEAKER 03 :
Thank you, Roger. It’s always such an honor.
SPEAKER 01 :
Well, friend, you’re listening to Dr. James Dobson’s Family Talk, and we’ve just heard a refreshing conversation featuring author Becky Thompson about finding genuine rest as a busy mom. You know, Becky’s insights remind us that our souls can only find true peace through intentional connection with Jesus. As she beautifully put it, rest is not a reward for my finished work, but rest is a reward for Jesus’ completed work on the cross. Amen? If you’d like to revisit today’s discussion or share it with a mom who could use a word of encouragement, you’ll find both parts one and two of this discussion at drjamesdobson.org forward slash family talk. And there you’ll also find information about Becky’s new book called Healing Rest, as well as info on her Midnight Mom devotional community, where over two million mothers gather for prayer each and every weeknight. Again, for information on Becky Thompson’s book, the Midnight Mom devotional community, and more. Go to drjamesdobson.org forward slash family talk. Well, with Mother’s Day just around the corner, it’s coming up this Sunday, we want to honor the incredible women who give so much of themselves each and every day, fulfilling the role of mom. That’s why we’ve created our free email series called Empowering Moms. In just five minutes each day, you’ll receive practical parenting wisdom rooted in timeless scripture and along with a daily prayer to strengthen your spirit. This special resource is our gift to moms everywhere. And did I mention it’s free? Go to drjamesdobson.org. On our landing page, you’ll find an icon there where you can click and simply enter your name and email address, and you’ll start receiving the Empowering Moms email series. That’s drjamesdobson.org. Here at the Dr. James Dobson Family Institute we are committed to providing biblical resources that strengthen families all across the country. These daily broadcasts are made possible through the generous support of friends like you who are praying for us and believe in our mission. Your gift today regardless of size helps us continue reaching millions of families with trusted guidance and encouragement. So make that secure donation today at drjamesdobson.org. A gift of $25, $50, $100 or more goes a long way in God’s economy. Again, that’s drjamesdobson.org or call 877-732-6825. Well, I’m Roger Marsh, and from all of us here at the Dr. James Dobson Family Institute, thanks so much for listening today, and hope you have a happy Mother’s Day this weekend. Be sure to join us again next time right here for another edition of Dr. James Dobson’s Family Talk, the voice you trust for the family you love.
SPEAKER 02 :
This has been a presentation of the Dr. James Dobson Family Institute. With today’s Dr. Dobson Minute, here’s Dr. James Dobson. I’d gone to bed early one night, and I was lying there waiting for my wife to finish some work in the kitchen. As she loaded the dishwasher, I could hear the gentle swish-swishing from the other end of the house. Then suddenly, I realized that it wasn’t the dishwasher at all. It was the squishy, rhythmic sound of my own heart beating in my ear instead of my chest where it belonged. I finally made an appointment with a specialist who told me that the muscles in my face were squeezing the vessels near my ear, and I was actually hearing the blood trying to get past those constricted channels. It’s not dangerous, he told me. It’s caused by stress. You’re running too fast. The doctor had it right. Stress is a fact of life in this high-speed culture. I’m convinced that this kind of breathless living not only threatens our physical bodies, but it can be devastating to family life as well. For more information, visit drdobsonminute.org.
Becky Thompson returns to Family Talk with Roger Marsh to delve into her latest book, Healing Rest. In a world filled with noise and demands, Becky offers mothers a path to peace, advocating for a spiritual reawakening grounded in faith. The conversation explores how mothers can navigate their numerous responsibilities not by worldly standards, but through a partnership with God’s love and wisdom. Becky’s guidance in mind, body, and soul health encourages a lifestyle of rest that is less about doing and more about being present in God’s comforting presence.
