~ Colleen Gibson, SSJ, Global Sisters Report
– the very act of sabbath-making – is part of our call as people of faith.
Summer break can mean many things: days at the beach, time to curl up with a good book, or a pause amid the daily grind to reconnect with family and friends. With activities including barbecues, service projects, annual retreats and long weekends away, the summer offers a time to shift with the seasons, find a new rhythm, or (at least) put our current pace in perspective.
For some, summer is a season of vacation, while for others, it is a busy time spent facilitating those spaces for others. Regardless of where you find yourself this summer, I think that something about the “in between” moment of the season invites our recollection.
Finding rest means facing the pressure to produce and the perception that productivity defines our worth. Solutions to such culturally pre-programmed restlessness are not simple, or one-size-fits-all. Part of learning to rest comes from reevaluating the – possibly – unhealthy standards we’ve set for ourselves.
Rest also humbles us. Our need for rest shows that we are human. To be faithful to the practice of rest both amid our service and apart from it is an act of faithful charity. We rest so that we can better love, and by resting, we recognize that rest – the very act of sabbath-making – is part of our call as people of faith.
Learning to rest and applying those lessons is countercultural. Stressing about the projects that lie ahead and new ministries on the horizon, we can feel the temptation to fill our time, to be productive in the service of something other than the call to be present to the feelings of the in between. Resting this summer is a call to develop patterns and practices of rest in every season of our lives.
As we look toward the months ahead and the mountains of things that could or should be done, why not spend some time away with friends, family and God – (or all three!)? For in that restful space, we may be able to listen more deeply to God’s call to service, more able and willing to respond prudently, and find that rest is exactly what is needed to live the fullness of life God intends for us.
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