Recently I attended a wonderful retreat which focused on returning to rest.
It was wonderful. It was a time of renewal and restoration.
As I doodled, I was struck by all the delightful words that start with RE, have you ever noticed this?
I’ve already used eight of them right here!
As I continue to think on these words, I am drawn to return to rest. There has become an urgency to rest, if that makes any sense, before I get too tired or overwhelmed.
This is easier said than done, and I’m finding I must be very intentional.
One of the new practices I have created is to set little reminders on my phone…can I stop, pay attention, say a prayer at those times?
My fit bit… or as my hubby likes to tease me, my guilt device, reminds me every hour to take some steps. I can also use those reminders to pray as I get up and move.
Our worlds are filled with distractions, pressures, and demands. So many of those I love are going through difficult challenges. We live with grief, with loss, with brokenness.
We long for the soothing rhythms of rest and reassurance that All will be Well.
Recently (another RE), I read a book about Jillian of Norwich, who coined those words… she had lived a life of immense suffering. She came to a place of rest, in trusting in a Saviour who had also suffered and suffers with us. The theme of her life became “All Will Be Well”. There is a deep rest in that statement.
So I determine to keep coming back to rest.
To reboot, to restore, to renew. It might be a few moments in my busy day, or an intentional day off once a week where I rest. It is planning time away for restoration.
Blessings as you find moments of rest.
