We all need rest, but unfortunately, we can be bad at resting. I wanted to share with you some thoughts on our need for rest and a few tips to rest well.
God rested on the seventh day. He doesn’t rest because he doesn’t have the strength to continue doing what he is doing. He rests because rest is meant to be a holy thing, something set aside for a specific purpose. He rests because his work is complete.
We live in a world where I think too many people miss out on true rest. This Sunday’s Gospel has a great reminder from Jesus about what rest is about,
Come away by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while.”
His invitation is not simply to stop doing something but to rest with Jesus. We need to rest from what tires us, but we don’t need a break from prayer or Jesus. As I was on vacation with my family last week, I was reminded of this reality. Out of routine shouldn’t mean abandoning prayer or our focus on God.
As you rest, rest with Jesus. Sometimes life affords us the opportunity to rest for a week, but rest can be a day or even minutes of our day. Rest is awesome, but our rest can be selfish. It’s not that rest itself is selfish. It’s the fact that I can bring my selfish self to rest and shut off the world and God. The temptations of our rest time will most likely be those things that tempt and distract us in periods of work or our normal routines.
I am not saying you need to take a vacation to a holy place but encouraging you to make your vacation a holy place. Take Jesus with you on vacation or even with you in the moments of rest you will have today. Pray where you are whether you are on the beach, in your house, or some exotic location.
Rest. Stop being busy and simply be. Be with Jesus. Be with family. Be with friends. Receive all that God has for you today. May God increase your ability to receive so you may be full of his love and grace.
I promised some exciting announcements, and here they are:
- We are at our Patreon goal (thanks Monthly supporters you rock!), and in September we will be launching a new #ShareJesus Podcast that’s a daily reflection on the Mass readings for the day.
- We are going to be re-releasing our Catholic Parenting Series as a broader product Sharing Faith which will be a tool for Catechists, Parents, Teachers, and anyone who wants to help people grow in their faith in practical ways.
- In August we will be announcing our exciting plans for both Advent and Lent and our daily video series.
- In the fall we will be releasing our second series on Videos.Church – Spiritual Warfare 101 – featuring Dave VanVickle. More information coming soon!
Can you please continue to pray for us? We greatly appreciate your prayers and support- can’t wait for you to experience all we have planned for this next year.
Andy
As a child, I loved getting the invitation to come over to one of my neighborhood friend’s house to play. I enjoyed spending time playing sports, riding bikes, and exploring the woods. When I was with friends and playing, life seemed full and exciting.