I have heard this over and over, in fact I have said it myself; “I need a rest from my holidays”. With the hectic pace of life and the norm of life being filled with stuff every waking moment of the day, every day of the week, it is not hard to understand that we look at our holidays as a chance to get away from the rat race and fill every moment with fun activities and events. For years, we would make plans for a getaway, and it was all about getting to the location and making sure we saw everything we could. If we were awake sixteen hours, we could jam in eighteen hours of “stuff” to enjoy the vacation. Something happened a few years ago when we went to Jamaica for the wedding of my son and daughter-in-law, we actually relaxed and enjoyed our time with family and friends. We had four things planned; a rehearsal, a wedding, a reception and scuba diving at Montego Bay. Outside those set times, we did something we rarely ever did; we relaxed. We got up when we woke up, we ate when we were hungry, we walked around, swam, laid on the beach, napped, swam and just plain out relaxed. When we returned to Canada, we were refreshed and renewed. Last year, Natalie and I, along with some other friends, went for a week of camping and we did the same thing; we got up when we woke up, we ate when we were hungry, we spent time together and we spent time alone. When it was all done, we parked the RV in the yard and prepared to go back to work. Again, we were relaxed and refreshed and at peace.
Too often we pack each and every day to the max and beyond.
We stress over missed timelines, things get forgotten and those events that we
should place high on the priority list are often pushed down to the bottom of
the sequence or are rescheduled for the next day or even the next week. Family
and faith are generally the casualties of over booking both on a daily basis
and, I fear, during those times when we should be focusing on relaxing with the
family on a well-earned holiday. I will admit that I have been guilty of
cheating my holiday by going into work just to answer an email or attend a
quick meeting. I cheat three groups or people in all this. Those I work with
who will not have the benefit of a refreshed and renewed member of the team are
cheated, my family who see that work is more important than the family and
myself for not attending properly to the wholeness of self; mind, body and
spirit. Psalm 23, the Psalm of David says, “The Lord is my
shepherd; I have all that I need. He lets me rest in
green meadows; he leads me beside peaceful streams. He renews my strength.
He guides me along right paths, bringing honor to his name.” NLT. We are coming
into a time of vacations and gatherings and, after coming through an intense
time of stress and seclusion, I ask you to consider this; as you plan your
time, purposely make time for family and faith. Take the time to be thankful
for that which He has provided in you life and bask in the peace and renewal
that God provides. Not only will you be better for it but those around you will
also benefit immeasurably by your new strength.
This Sunday, we welcome the fact that we can gather with a
few more people than two weeks ago and anticipate further relaxation of
gathering restrictions the following week. We invite you to join us in person
at 10:30 AM Sunday or online at:
Facebook Live - https://www.facebook.com/main.ave.31
YouTube Live – https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCs9LIkN_QTdVM6eVXEgy9QA
We look forward to seeing you this Sunday.
Blessings,
Pastor Todd
www.mainavefellowship.blogspot.ca
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