Have I Not Reminded You About the Sabbath?

Practice what you preach, lady!  These are the words that run through my mind this morning as I think of how many times I have advocated to all of you to take a sabbath!  Rest!  Relax!  Enjoy your life!

Or you might end up sick. Or at the very least worn out, burned out, and no good to yourself or others.

I could see it coming a mile away, but truly there was nothing I could do about it!  Our son and daughter were both in the High School Musical (State Fair by Rodgers and Hammerstein, which by the way was totally AMAZING- of course I might be a bit biased) and she made it to the Regional Spelling Bee 3.5 hours away in the midst of three performances and 4 late night rehearsals.  So when it was all over, guess what happened?  She got sick- Flu and Strep.  And then I got sick- just the flu for me, but that was plenty to slow me down.  There simply was no time to rest in between daily Track and Field practices, Wednesday evening Lent services, council meetings, other meetings, cooking, cleaning, and walking the dog!  So I didn't do what I always tell you to do- rest!  I simply didn't have time.

Our bodies can only handle so much you know.  Eventually they will stop us in our tracks and nothing that has to be done CAN be done because our bodies rebel against us in order to slow us down!  It's as if our physical self says to us "If you don't stop, I will make you stop!"  And did it ever!  So in the past few days I have had time to sleep, read, pray, and ponder.  It's no fun being sick but it does afford a certain luxury of time that otherwise I would not take.

Now I know that I have people around me who try to slow me down. . . and in general I would not label myself as stubborn, but when it comes to being busy, or doing too much, well let's just say I have a hard time listening to the good advice to take it easy.  I will fill every moment with something to do.  I will complain of being bored if there is nothing to keep me busy.  I will create something to do if there is a lull in the action!  And when things get out of control and I refuse to stop the madness then God gently (or violently in the case of the influenza virus) says to me, "Have I not reminded you about the Sabbath?" 
Have I not reminded you to rest? Slow down? Chill out?

Ummm. . . Yes, Lord.  I hear you.  And for now I will listen, probably because I have to, but I will try harder to take time to relax and "just be."  In the meantime, thanks for always being with me Lord, for loving me through sickness and health.  I appreciate and cherish your love and care.  I will try to do better, really. . . but right now the dog needs a walk.

Sloooowwww it down!

I know you do it too!  You rush around your day, run from here to there, there to here, barely stopping to notice if you are breathing.  Sun up to sun down you are moving, talking, shuffling, reading, writing, serving, listening to others, driving, fetching, cooking, cleaning up messes, handling crises, organizing chaos. . . whew. . . when does it end?  Isn't it about time you simply slow down?  Don't you think it's the right time to go just a little bit slower so you notice the last roses on the bushes before they get frosted out, see the kids in the neighborhood jump into those piles of raked leaves, listen to the words of a sappy song on the radio, hear the story your child is trying to tell you about an interaction she had in school. . . don't you think it's time to downshift your gears a bit?

I had a wakeup call this past week as I rushed through all the tasks and work I had on my schedule.  I came home one afternoon this week to hear from my daughter that I had left the front burner of the stove on.  She discovered this as she put a plastic container on top of what she thought was a cool appliance.  The reality is that I could have burned the house down!  That's an extremely scary thought.  When I was a teenager our dog jumped up on the kitchen counter to get something that was up there that she wanted, she hit the control on the stove and some snack bags caught on fire. . . we came home to a burning kitchen that had to be completely gutted.  We were lucky.  I was lucky this week.  But I think it means I am supposed to slow down, pay attention, focus a little better rather than being so scattered.

The other part of slowing down is that there is so much to enjoy, however I tend to miss much of it when I am over-scheduling myself, failing to say "no" to things that could be left to someone else to do, and choosing what is most important and making time for that rather than filling my day with busy-ness.  How about you?  Are you encouraged to take a slower pace today?  Can you stop and fill your lungs with some fresh air so you can actually think a bit clearer?  Can you do something good to take care of yourself, your spirit, your body and mind today?

As for me. . . time to get my nikes on because my pup is waiting for me to go for a walk.  So off I go for some quality time, some quiet time with my Martin Luther.  Peace be with you friends!
amy