For anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from their works, just as God did from his. Hebrew 4:10
“Caught in the everyday rush, many of us seem to be always on the brink of exhaustion. Our ever-greater busyness takes all the energy we have, leaving us little to give what really matters. In the unconsciousness of always being rushed, we can easily fall into the opposite of generative living. Enslaved by duties or ambitions, we can end up denying ourselves the very time and reflection that provide us with the necessary balance of peace and joy.
Rushing can cloud our perspectives and limit our possible offerings to others. It seems a paradox that by not taking regular, disciplined rest, we undermine our opportunity to deepen generosity in ourselves; our families and communities; and our work, minds, bodies, souls and environment. Yet this “taking” of time for the balance of rest and activity is what creates the surplus to be reliable in our giving to others.”
Lucinda Vardey and John Dalla Costa in Being Generous: The Art of Right Living (Toronto: Vintage Canada, 2008) 47-48.
This meditation sums it up for us, so we are taking time for rest, recreation, and rejuvenation. We depart today for New Zealand and land on 12 May 2016 so in between, we are getting some rest. If our adventure sounds inviting, look at your calendar. It took about two years of planning and saving for this trip. Resting is a planned activity.
Also look at your daily and weekly rhythms and plan time for rest so that you are positioned to be “reliable” in giving as a result. My seven daily pauses over Lent taught me the monks of old had figured something out. Resting not only one day a week, but pausing every three hours for a few minutes may actually increase our productivity.