Vacation
“Come to me all you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28
A friend of mine just returned from a very nice vacation. Before she left the tension in her person was perceptible. She carried herself in a way that suggested she might shatter if anyone got close. She stated and restated how much she needed the break. Well, simply taking a break isn’t always the answer.
Jesus took breaks, or tried to anyway. He admonished the apostles to take breaks. From
the Old Testament to the New we are advised of the wisdom of taking a break, getting away and resting. We are called to be as much like God as we possibly can and guess what? On the seventh day, He rested. My friend’s idea was a good one, get away, take it easy and go back to work with a renewed sense of purpose. She’s baaaack. She doesn’t seem rested and where there should be a renewed sense of purpose there is nothing but the same old story, the same old song and dance. When I spoke to her the day after she returned it was as if she’d never left. The oil of tension dripped off her every word. Where strength and rejuvenation should have been there was the very familiar ring of anxiousness and irritation.
My first reaction was “gee, a lot of good that did.” I thought of the time and money her “rest” had cost her and wondered if it were at all worth it to her. Then I did the self-check thing. When have I done the same exact thing? Gone off to rest and returned just as tired and aggravated as when I left? A couple of incidents came to mind.
The break I’m referring to here did involve several days off from work, a lot of money spent and a great distance between the home/work arena and the vacation spot. But it doesn’t have to be that significant a change to provide the opportunity to miss a blessing.
Many of us take a quiet time with God each day. That should renew us from whatever has gone before and strengthen us for whatever is coming. If we follow the example of Jesus we will take those moments, or if we can days, and renew not only our physical bodies but more importantly our spirits.
We read the story of creation which includes the words, “so on the seventh day he rested from all his work.” Genesis 2:2b We read in Matthew 14:23 that Jesus went off by himself to pray. We see it again in Mark 1:35, Jesus going off alone to pray. In the story of Jesus calming the storm (Matthew 8:23-27) Jesus is asleep in the boat. Renewal does not always come from the well thought out, saved for, long anticipated vacation. Renewal always comes from getting quiet and close to our Lord.
Take a break, a real one. God did it and so did Jesus.
A friend of mine just returned from a very nice vacation. Before she left the tension in her person was perceptible. She carried herself in a way that suggested she might shatter if anyone got close. She stated and restated how much she needed the break. Well, simply taking a break isn’t always the answer.
Jesus took breaks, or tried to anyway. He admonished the apostles to take breaks. From
the Old Testament to the New we are advised of the wisdom of taking a break, getting away and resting. We are called to be as much like God as we possibly can and guess what? On the seventh day, He rested. My friend’s idea was a good one, get away, take it easy and go back to work with a renewed sense of purpose. She’s baaaack. She doesn’t seem rested and where there should be a renewed sense of purpose there is nothing but the same old story, the same old song and dance. When I spoke to her the day after she returned it was as if she’d never left. The oil of tension dripped off her every word. Where strength and rejuvenation should have been there was the very familiar ring of anxiousness and irritation.
My first reaction was “gee, a lot of good that did.” I thought of the time and money her “rest” had cost her and wondered if it were at all worth it to her. Then I did the self-check thing. When have I done the same exact thing? Gone off to rest and returned just as tired and aggravated as when I left? A couple of incidents came to mind.
The break I’m referring to here did involve several days off from work, a lot of money spent and a great distance between the home/work arena and the vacation spot. But it doesn’t have to be that significant a change to provide the opportunity to miss a blessing.
Many of us take a quiet time with God each day. That should renew us from whatever has gone before and strengthen us for whatever is coming. If we follow the example of Jesus we will take those moments, or if we can days, and renew not only our physical bodies but more importantly our spirits.
We read the story of creation which includes the words, “so on the seventh day he rested from all his work.” Genesis 2:2b We read in Matthew 14:23 that Jesus went off by himself to pray. We see it again in Mark 1:35, Jesus going off alone to pray. In the story of Jesus calming the storm (Matthew 8:23-27) Jesus is asleep in the boat. Renewal does not always come from the well thought out, saved for, long anticipated vacation. Renewal always comes from getting quiet and close to our Lord.
Take a break, a real one. God did it and so did Jesus.
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