Today I am writing at the beach, on my husbands laptop.
It is very different for me. But it’s good and if I get tired or bored it is always a good beach to view or walk on.
My husband is retired and now he is helping out down here at a camp, one day a week.
He is in his happy place keeping busy and I am too, as I always love the ocean.
It is a place of therapy for me.
I have been reading a book that was written by an on line friend of mine, on the Sabbath. She explains how we need a day set aside for quiet, and rest for renewing our heart and spirits.
It is called “Rhythms of Rest” and her name is Shelly Miller.
I highly recommend is as we all need time to slow down and regroup.
She teaches how to find the spirit of the Sabbath in a busy world.
I have read part of the book and have taken notes so I can go back and reference the amazing words she writes. How often do we even think about taking a break, taking a rest, allowing ourselves time to slow down and center inward? It is important.
She talks about how to be intentional on creating and carving out time. For soul renewal, and spirit restoration.
Have you ever been so tired you couldn’t even think, or so emotionally drained it was difficult to even think of moving from one chair to the other?
I have been there. In that space.
What saved me was first realizing life happened, all around me and I didn’t have to be the ‘force’ to make it. I could stop and slow down and it would be ok in fact it would be fine.
I had a good therapist tell me one time, “if wear yourself out you will accomplish nothing.”
My health at that time dictated that I slow down.
Stop, and learn to say No.
It was empowering.
Saying no was the best lesson I learned for in saying NO I learned to say yes, to rest, to prayer time, to slow introspective thinking.
It became my place of healing on many levels.
Shelly says, “Sabbath is a gift to be embraced, not a spiritual hoop to jump through.” When I think of embrace, using her word, it speaks to me of moving closer, and into, a choice.
The beach is my resting place.
I find renewal in my spirit as I listen to the waves, move across the surface of the sand.
It’s a peaceful place, it restores and revives me.
Do you have a place that is restful to your soul? Peaceful to your spirit? Calming to the heart?
I pray you find one. I also recommend this book to help guide you in a process of finding genuine rest.
“Rhythms of Rest” is a wonderful book.
It is life giving encouragement to stir us on, and into deeper places of the spirit. Let us slow down and be more intentional in our choices and in our life decisions.
Let us find a new ‘rhythm of rest.’