A gentle rest.

I have the good fortune to be abroad, with opportunities to swim in the warm, azure waters. It feels like freedom to move through the waves, and to feel the vastness of the sky above, and the softness of the sandy ocean floor below.

And now and again I just float on the surface, gazing at the cloudless sky, and being rocked by the waves. I enter the water with a thousand concerns and worries, and cry out to God, asking for discord to end, and harmony to be restored. People seem to be fighting in every sphere, with so many hurt, confused, disillusioned and weary with it all.

When I am buoyant in the water, gazing at the flurry clouds languidly dallying across the sky, it is a moment of being gently rocked by the movement of the waves. It feels immensely peaceful. I let go of my worries and anxieties, and just be. Especially in these moments, God feels very near. I remember the verse from Isaiah 30;15

‘ in rest and returning you will be saved, in quietness and trust you will find strength.’

In these days of acrimony, we try to discern what is best, we pray for insight and wisdom, we become exhausted trying to work out our views on many divisive issues. We need to use our brains, to ponder, to pray. But there are also moments, when I think Jesus just calls us to come spend time in His presence, just to be in His love, and to receive from Him. These times are precious and healing, reconnecting us deeply with the love of Jesus Christ.

Jesus said to his disciples ‘ Come to me all you who are weary and heavy burdened, for I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls’ Matthew 11: 28-29

There are seasons, when we feel deeply the weight of a world polarised and divided, and we are bewildered and weary. Especially at these times, Jesus is gentle and patient with us, calling us to rest in His arms. Here, may we find the restoration and peace we seek.

Mighty and gracious God, we know of Your truth and mercy, Your beauty and goodness, and we trust that we can come to You as your beloved children. We acknowledge that we often try hard, but we make mistakes and can get disorientated in the plethora of strident voices and shouting. Lord Jesus, when we are confused and exhausted, may we always return to your presence, to rest in Your arms, to be cradled in your gentle acceptance and grace. Holy Spirit, at some point You will lead us back into the complexities of the modern, hurting world. Yet just for this time, may we enter into Your gentle rest, and find nurture and renewal in your Holy presence, Amen.

Staring into space…

Life can be so demanding- a never ending series of emails, phonecalls and activities. By the time you finish one item on your to do list, another 5 have popped up. It can be a relentless series of tasks and voices and responsibilities.

In the midst of it all, sometimes taking time out, just staring into space can be part of the answer. It is counter cultural- for a while not being productive or goal orientated or seen to be useful, but just to do nothing.

In his book ‘The Jesus way’ Eugene Petersen speaks in this way ‘we stop, whether by chance or through circumstances, so we can be attentive and receptive to what God is doing in and for us, and for others on the way. We wait for our souls to catch up with our bodies.’

These times of stopping can be in time out over the summer, or weekends, or daily practices of interweaving quiet moments into our day. Sometimes we take that time because of ill health or bereavement. It is time to slow down, to reflect and to take stock.

We know that in the ten commandments, in Exodus chapter 20, the fourth commandment is to ‘Remember the sabbath and keep it holy’. We are to make sure we have a day each week’ dedicated to worship, to rest and renewal. In our 24/7 culture however, people are under pressure to work longer hours, connected to technology which piles on the pressure, where people expect instant availability, answers and action. We get sucked into this culture, until we are in danger of losing our sense of self, our identity.

Taking a moment to challenge that culture can be daunting, but is essential. Even if we are just gazing into space, our body gets a moment of respite from all the stresses and pressures, our adrenalin and cortisol levels get a chance to regulate, and we can become less tired. The more regularly we have these quieter moments, the better for our bodies.

We also need still moments for our souls, to be able to connect with God more deeply, and to rest in His presence. The silence can be a time to hear His message of love and grace to us anew, to receive nurture, and discover new possibilities.

Making space just to be, can enable much to happen. However we make the space, just to pause and to catch our breath, and this in turn can enable us, when we are ready, to find a deeper rhythm of connection and to re- orientate to God’s purpose for us.

Staring into space, allows us a time to rest, to process our thoughts, to get in touch with what is going on within us. It helps us get beyond the clamouring voices and pressures of every day life, and to sit in stillness. This enables us to then hear the Holy Spirit at work in our lives, to experience love, healing and peace. We are thankful for a God who reminds us of the importance of rest, and we pray that this might be a priority in our daily lives.

Gracious God, at times our minds are so busy, trying to keep our email boxes under control, to live up to expectations, to fulfil our responsibilities. It can become a constant grind. Lord Jesus, in your earthly ministry, you took time out to pray and to rest. Teach us how to do this, without feeling guilty. Help us to trust that You, the God of the universe, can carry our burdens, and set us free from all that is heavy. Grant us moments of stillness in our daily lives, just to be. And in these quiet moments, may we learn to be attentive to your Holy Spirit and to your gentle whispers of love and healing. In Jesus’ name, Amen

Getting off the merry-go-round!

Life can just go by so quickly. There is so much to do, phone calls to make, deadlines to meet. It can feel so very busy, that we cannot catch our breath. Modern life can feel so pressured.

Recently, I have so enjoyed having time off, with some beautiful friends, beach walks, gorgeous food, catching up, trying to put the world to rights. Just being, is such a relief, enjoying slower rhythms of life, that seem so much more healthy and natural.

So the question is, how to integrate these patterns into daily life after times of holiday? It could be a walk before work, a new devotional routine, more intentional self care, time to listen to music. Once we have time out, we want to keep something of that peace, once back at work. We might intentionally focus on an inspiring book.or podcast, and have an hour of reading and reflection. It could be spending time with the psalms, or listening to God, and reorientating ourselves about our purpose. These times are central to our wellbeing, and nurture our souls.

Taking time that time to reflect, to pause, to gain perspective on our lives, and to take stock, is core for our personal journey. We see our lives more clearly, the things to celebrate, and the things that are bothering us. We then notice the things that we want to embrace, and the things to let go. We pray for the ability to trust, to listen, and find guidance for the road ahead. I remember the verse in Isaiah ‘I will keep in perfect peace, those whose mind is steadfast because they trust in You.’ Isaiah 26: 3 – whatever our circumstances are, may we be steadfast in our devotion to our Lord, and have times of stillness, and of prayerful reflection, and find peace.

Eternal Father, forgive us that at times we move too fast, our thoughts race, we feel overwhelmed. Help us have regular times to pray, to worship, to learn, space to think and to ponder. Lord Jesus, you often withdrew from the crowds, to spend time with your heavenly Father. May we also learn from this pattern. Help us not to feel guilty when we don’t connect with you in the way we would wish, when our prayer life seems dry, or we are unsettled. Help us to set aside time to be with You, to trust more deeply in your good purposes for our lives. Every day is a fresh start, so today, we surrender our lives to You, may we hear your voice of love, find your peace, and pray that Your will be done.

The straw that breaks the camel’s back……

Sometimes when you go on holiday, and then come back, things have accumulated in your in-tray, in your email, in fact everywhere. There is a list of things to do, that can seem unending.

When we feel overwhelmed, we can often work out a coping strategy, and work out a plan. But then one additional thing comes in- it can just be small, can look very insignificant, but it is just one thing too many. It could be a plea for toilet rolls, a reminder of something undone, or a ‘ I know you’re busy but…….’ kind of request. And then it feels unmanageable, just like the mountain of stuff to do has become too great, and that it’s about to collapse on your head!

Life these days is so much more complicated than it was pre covid. People have changed- they are exhausted from continual adaption, from illness and stress, anxiety and financial worries. So everytime we go to do something, there can be unexpected complications. It can weary the soul.

I remember some one said ‘how do you cut up an elephant?’ And the answer is ‘ one piece at a time’. Now to be clear, I don’t want to cut up elephants, or indeed any living creature! But I have found the principle to be invaluable, when you have lots to do, just start with a little tiny bit, and that in itself makes a difference. Just one step, takes you forward.

I love too that I can always come to God, and share my worries with Him, and that He never turns me away. It is such a privilege. I can come ranting about whatever has gone wrong, unable to see a constructive way forward, and He lets me pour out my heart to Him. He listens with loving kindness, and I find a new strength, and see different possibilities that might work. I am blessed, even in the most tumultuous of times.

In psalm 62 verse 8, the psalmist says ‘ o my people, trust in God at all times. Pour out your heart to Him, for God is your refuge’

Gracious God, sometimes we try so hard to follow You, to persevere, to do all we can, but it doesn’t seem enough, and little things going wrong annoy us so badly. Lord Jesus, forgive us when we become grumpy and have a short fuse. In our time of need, may we turn to You. Take the cares of the world from our shoulders, and help us bring our worries to You in prayer. Set us free through your spirit. Help us to regain perspective, to find inspiration to find a new and better way forward, taking a deep breath, and trusting more fully in You. In your mercy, hear our prayer, Amen

One thing too many……

Despite my best efforts, my life still seems to have too much stuff! I am trying to let it go, and to have better daily habits, but my confession is that a few books have sneaked into the house recently. I can’t imagine how that happened….

Over the last couple of weeks, I have been reflecting on the stuff that seems to have engulfed us emotionally too, as we struggle to cope with the consequences of the pandemic. We have got into habits of not going out so much and of being more fearful and self contained. And there is so much anxiety and frustration in our society just now, we oscillate between overconfidence and withdrawal, quietness and agitation. For many people, when something goes wrong it is one thing too many, whether it is the bus that pulls out in front of you, or the person who is rude, or being kept on hold for an hour, trying to pay a bill. We live in an anxious age.

I love that Jesus said ‘ come to me all you who are weary and carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your soul.’ Matthew 11: 28-9

We are carrying so much- the scars from the pandemic, the stresses of economic and political instability, personal burdens, and worry and concern about where we are going as a world community. It is too much to bear.

Yet Jesus invites us to turn to Him, to lay our burdens at the foot of the cross, and to find rest. He takes our worries from us, and calls us to trust Him, and to just be still. He wants us to have rest for our souls, a deep peace, that passes all understanding. When we have prayed, and tried all the things we can think of, and given it all we have, and it doesn’t seem to be working, we just need to come to Jesus, and rest and wait. For He is humble and gentle, and will bring restoration to our souls.

Gracious and Loving God, we cry to you from a wounded and conflicted world, where everything seems discordant and there is so much confusion and pain. In these days, even a little thing can become one thing too many. Lord Jesus, have mercy on us. Help us not to keep trying to solve things by ourselves, but just to come and tell you of our woes and ask for your guidance. Holy spirit, reveal to us the wisdom of our Heavenly Father, so our lives might be more centred and graced. And meantime, may we draw near to you, and find that healing and rest which we crave do badly in the presence of our merciful abba Father. Bring restoration and renewal we pray, Amen.