Rest for Awhile

I have a confession to make… I can’t stand laziness! I think that too many people – including Christians – are dangerously inactive, slothful and (consequently) lacking in the fabulously Tiggerific qualities of vim and vigour! Often, I hear Christians talk about the need to rest, retreat and refill and I think to myself… argh! Generally speaking, I think many people need the opposite! They should be more active, more adventurous and er, ‘refill’ rather less! That being said… I’m just back from a retreat myself and it was amazing!

True, it was a very, very active kind of retreat, but I cannot deny the spiritual value of spending time away from the day-to-day responsibilities and duties that I have. So, having fessed up to hating (no, sorry, ‘hating’ is the wrong word – I mean despising) laziness… can I encourage you to take stock and plan in some time to (you guessed it) rest, retreat and refill (spiritually speaking, of course)?

What are the special places and whose the loving faces in your life? Go and spend some time with them. A picture, they say, is worth a thousand words, so here are just a few from my recent retreat. These were taken at Rydal, in the Lake District, and include Rydal Hall gardens, Rydal Falls and the lake itself, Rydal Water. It’s a special and beautiful place, to me. The last picture is of a stone engraving, quoting Jesus, who said to His disciples when they returned from an intense period of ministry: “You must come away to a lonely place all by yourselves and rest for awhile.” (Mark 6:31) Please don’t be lazy (let’s note that the disciples had been extremely busy doing Kingdom work before Jesus said this to them)… but do follow His instruction when you sense the need to be replenished.

Blessings

Simon