This photo captures a moment between my twin boys and my dad that is precious to me. Watching them ride a paddle boat out to the dock together and just relax in the sun epitomizes vacation in my mind: reconnecting with people we love, having fun, relaxing. And here are three of my favorite people doing all three.
This week, I’m writing about Keri Wyatt Kent’s book, Rest. One of the things she writes about that really resonates with me is the idea that to rest—whether it’s a daily rest, a weekly Sabbath rest, or an extended vacation—is to trust God.
Think about it. When we take a deliberate break from activity in order to reconnect with God and our families and friends, we’re trusting that God can keep on being God while we take a break. We don’t need to keep on consuming and working and checking email and being productive…we can stop. We trust that for today, we have enough.
Do you have a hard time stopping, even on vacation? What can you do ahead of time to make your time away more restful?
2 comments:
absolutely stunning picture! Moti is a huge advocate for shabbat rest (and we don't have electronics which *I* love!) - it is a big lifestyle change but I actually look forward to it! suzy
I "need" to be doing so it is hard for me to stop and relax. I have to feel like there are no loose ends hanging over my head which, of course, never happens.
I have gotten better about not getting overly stressed out preparing to go on vacation. Two things have helped. First, letting go of the worry & stress about everything that has to get done and letting God take care of it. Second, advice, coping skills, & hints from Flylady.com. I'm far from perfect, but the day before our last trip I had time to bake bread to take with us for lunch. That has never happened before.
Here are a couple of tips I've found to help my time away be more restful:
Leave the house in relative order (but don't obsess with making it perfect). It is pleasant to come home to a clean, orderly house -- and you don't have to dive into housekeeping as soon as you get home.
Take care of any odds & ends that need to be done while you're gone or shortly after you come home. Look ahead so don't worry if you've forgotten an important bill while you're away. Write down things you need to do when you get back so you don't have to think about them until then.
Be realistic about what to bring to keep you occupied on your vacation. For instance, don't bring every book you've been wanting to read for the last year.
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