I have just returned from a week at the beach with my wonderful fiancé and his sweet family. It was great to just get away and enjoy the ocean and the beach. I love how time seems to move at a different speed when you find yourself on a beach somewhere. It is hard to explain. It is even harder for a person like me to surrender to something like that.
This week at the beach really revealed to me how difficult it is for me to simply be. I long for it, but have hard time embodying it. I'll give myself a little grace this time, given this was the first full week I spent with my future in-laws. They are exceptional people, deeply loving and incredibly hospitable. They are thoughtful and fun people all-around. Still...it is hard to really relax while you are still getting to know your new family! There is in me a deep desire to please people, especially these people! Needless to say, it took me a few days to really relax. This is ironic given the fact that the men of the family are incredibly easy-going and generally relaxed themselves. His mom is relaxed in her own way (she fell asleep on the beach almost everyday), but is more concerned with whether you're relaxed and having a good time (like most moms!). The whole week was wonderful, but it was especially nice once I just relaxed and let go.
I learned from this - my first full week of pure vacation in my professional career - that I really struggle with rest and relaxation. I think this is because I rarely relax in the day-to-day. It is impossible for us to let go when we're on vacation or a retreat if we have not already learned to do so in our daily lives. This is why our Lord has always encouraged Sabbath rest. He knew well the importance of coming apart to rest, relax, and revive. We see evidences of it and the importance of it throughout the Old and New Testaments. Why, then, do we find rest so difficult? I say "we," because I know that I am not alone in this.
I heard someone say once that Sabbath is not a day in the week, it is a state of the heart. This is undoubtedly true. So, how do we begin to create of our hearts what Thomas Kelly calls an "inner sanctuary"? I am not sure I have a definitive answer to that, but I believe it begins with confession and prayer. Begin by telling God that you struggle with simply being and resting. Ask for forgiveness and for the strength to embody a stillness of soul. Pray the same prayer each day for a few weeks. Consider using one of the prayers of the saints like the one below (or other short prayers) or Psalm 46:10 (or another Psalm). When I do this, I find myself better able to be still no matter what is happening around me. I am beginning this practice again today and hope you will join me in the same.
This week at the beach really revealed to me how difficult it is for me to simply be. I long for it, but have hard time embodying it. I'll give myself a little grace this time, given this was the first full week I spent with my future in-laws. They are exceptional people, deeply loving and incredibly hospitable. They are thoughtful and fun people all-around. Still...it is hard to really relax while you are still getting to know your new family! There is in me a deep desire to please people, especially these people! Needless to say, it took me a few days to really relax. This is ironic given the fact that the men of the family are incredibly easy-going and generally relaxed themselves. His mom is relaxed in her own way (she fell asleep on the beach almost everyday), but is more concerned with whether you're relaxed and having a good time (like most moms!). The whole week was wonderful, but it was especially nice once I just relaxed and let go.
I learned from this - my first full week of pure vacation in my professional career - that I really struggle with rest and relaxation. I think this is because I rarely relax in the day-to-day. It is impossible for us to let go when we're on vacation or a retreat if we have not already learned to do so in our daily lives. This is why our Lord has always encouraged Sabbath rest. He knew well the importance of coming apart to rest, relax, and revive. We see evidences of it and the importance of it throughout the Old and New Testaments. Why, then, do we find rest so difficult? I say "we," because I know that I am not alone in this.
I heard someone say once that Sabbath is not a day in the week, it is a state of the heart. This is undoubtedly true. So, how do we begin to create of our hearts what Thomas Kelly calls an "inner sanctuary"? I am not sure I have a definitive answer to that, but I believe it begins with confession and prayer. Begin by telling God that you struggle with simply being and resting. Ask for forgiveness and for the strength to embody a stillness of soul. Pray the same prayer each day for a few weeks. Consider using one of the prayers of the saints like the one below (or other short prayers) or Psalm 46:10 (or another Psalm). When I do this, I find myself better able to be still no matter what is happening around me. I am beginning this practice again today and hope you will join me in the same.
"O Lord, my God, grant us Your peace;
already, indeed, you have made us rich in all things!
Give us that peace of being at rest, that sabbath peace,
already, indeed, you have made us rich in all things!
Give us that peace of being at rest, that sabbath peace,
the peace which knows no end."
St. Augustine
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