Episcopal Church Foundation Vestry Papers - for leading congregations

I rested.

I was exhausted. The conference had gone well, the responsibility for seeing that it did so left me drained: mentally, physically, and emotionally.

And so, I gave myself permission to follow the ancient imperative to rest:

" And on the seventh day God ended his work which He had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which He had made. And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it; because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made" (Genesis 2:2-3).

I left my suitcase unpacked. Instead of ‘getting a jump on the week’ by organizing receipts, reviewing my calendar, and writing this blog post, I read. I relished the new life appearing in my garden. Later, I sat in the sunshine and took a nap. And, I thanked God for this time of rest and renewal.

Modern science confirms what the ancients knew: we need time to rest and recuperate from the stresses of everyday life. We are encouraged to get 7 to 8 hours of sleep each night, and to take a ‘time out’ from the emotional, mental, and physical stress of our daily life. Yet, I often fall into the trap of trying to finish just one more thing rather than accepting God’s invitation to rest, relax, and reflect.

Yesterday, I honored God by accepting God’s invitation to keep the Sabbath.