Take a Break

I recently read this line... "Sometimes the speed bumps in the road of life are God's way of saying 'Remember the Sabbath.'" This picture was taken at Lake Junaluska Conference and Retreat Center outside of Ashville, NC where I just spent a week at a conference on Camping and Retreat Ministries. The house behind it is a rental cottage where people can spend time looking out onto Lake Junaluska as they take a Sabbath rest.

While I did manage to avoid the Missouri blizzard of 2011, this trip was not a time of rest. We pretty much had meetings from 7 am to 10 pm. (I'm not asking for sympathy, I'd rather work hard in 40 degree weather than hunker down in -10 degrees. My prayers have been with you all along.)

I'm not very good at Sabbath taking. I find it easier to be productive by studying, writing, and working in the various tasks that make up pastoral ministry. I like to have an answer when someone asks, "What did you do today." However, I am also aware that the most commonly ignored of the Ten Commandments is to "Remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy." Holy means "set apart." The Sabbath (day of rest) is to be set apart from the 6 days of work to allow your body to recover, to allow your mind to process the week, and to allow your spirit to rest in the Spirit of the one who created the Sabbath for your own rest. Jesus reminds us in Mark 2:27 that the Sabbath was made to serve our needs.

I have Saturday off and I'm looking forward to some rest. You need a rest, too. Take a break.