Dear
friends,
The story of
creation tells us that God rested on the seventh day. For thousands of years, our Jewish brothers
and sisters have set aside one day a week as a sabbath. Jesus often went off by himself for quiet
time with God. Human beings profit from
down time, time to reflect and re-center and even to play. You’ve probably heard
it said that we are human beings, not
human doings. We forget that at our peril.
When I was a
child, Sundays were a time when stores were closed and youth sports leagues had
not yet started requiring Sunday participation.
Without the internet and cell phones, it was much easier for children
and adults to get away and be away. The
world has changed, but our human need for rest and restoration, play time and
pray time, has not changed.
How do you
attend to that need in your life?
One way I
try to honor my need for restorative time is to use all of my given vacation,
continuing education, and retreat time each year. According to our letter of agreement, each
year I have 23 work days of vacation, plus two weeks of continuing education
and retreat time. I know that Rob
Marston liked to use all of his vacation days in one fell swoop, taking a month
off each summer. I’ve discovered that it
works better for me if I spread out my vacation, retreat, and continuing ed
days across the year. This coming week
I’ll be on retreat in Boston, re-centering through prayer and worship and
silence at the Society of St. John the Evangelist monastery. I am so grateful for that opportunity.
What about
you? As we enter the final quarter of
2018, how will you pace yourself and attend to your own needs for quiet time,
for reflection, for prayer and rest and play?
May the God
who created and adores each one of us bless you with the wisdom, grace, and
courage to pace yourself, finding and making and taking the time you need to
nurture your soul and draw closer to the Lord and Giver of Life.
Blessings,
Anne
No comments:
Post a Comment