Another week…another camp!!
This summer i’ve had the immense privilege of being involved in various teams across Ireland and also venturing to the far away land of Peru. Each experience has been special and filled with God-stuff as He has taken me on a journey allowing me to be part of what He is doing in this nation and beyond!
However…i must confess to being a bit drained…i have absolutely loved it all and it has been fantastic but right now im exhausted…several people have told me to get sum rest but if im honest im not really sure wot that looks like!
Rest is something i’ve always struggled with…i am by nature an “active” person so the thought of resting is sumthin of a foreign concept…sumtimes when i try to chill out or relax i end up feeling guilty and think of lots of things that i should be doing or people i should be visiting! So what does rest actually look like?!!…does it mean not doing anything at all or can i rest while still being active, can i rest and still play football?!! Is watching tv a good way to rest or should i spend my “rest” time reading my bible, praying and listening to sermons?!!
Lots of questions with very few answers…but one thing i am sure of is…i have a God who “makes me lie down in green pastures“, who “leads me beside still waters” and who “restores my soul“
Lord, in the midst of my busy life, teach me how to rest…lead me to the green pastures and the still waters so that my soul may be restored.
Rest I think is not feeling the need to be always doing. I feel guilty when I’m not doing stuff. But over the past couple of weeks I’m learning that it is ok to say “no” to doing things, even christian things and I don’t need to feel guilty about it.
I’m learning that rest looks like watching TV, praying, reading my bible, reading a book, going to a coffee shop with/without friends, cooking a meal for my friends, going to the cinema, going to church, going to a gig … really anything at all that makes me feel like me and not some sort of church machine.
You should download the podcasts on “rest” from my church, they are on itunes under Belfast City Vineyard.
I love the whole idea that we are to “work from rest, not rest from work”
p.s. I have responded to your comment on my blog, what kinda salary are you offering?
By: Kate Moore on September 1, 2007
at 8:46 pm
maybe its about taking 1 day off every 7
By: rickhill on September 2, 2007
at 11:40 pm
Bo good to see you in blogland.
the whole rest thing is an interesting one – there’s part of a ‘protestant work ethic’ that we always have to be doing stuff, that God measures our worth by our activity that is ingrained in our psyche that we need to get rid of. I’m with Kate – rest isn’t just about doing nothing but doing the things that recharge you – its something i’ve learned a lot about over the last couple of years.
I’m an activist too and i think we’re actually the people that most need to learn a little about practising silence and solitude…
By: Sam on September 5, 2007
at 8:55 am
Somehow i missed the point. Probably lost in translation
Anyway … nice blog to visit.
cheers, Predominate.
By: Predominate on June 19, 2008
at 4:05 am