Rest is good. Hopefully, that is a pretty unobjectionable sentence, but it can be one that is so easy to ignore in our own lives.
At Living Leadership we talk a lot about making sure to take a good, long break at some point in the year, and to have a sustainable rhythm of work and rest throughout the year.
During the summer we practise what we preach and take a break from much of our usual activities (including this blog) and give our staff opportunities to work at a different rhythm and to take long times off for refreshing.
So, this will be our last blog until September, but we wanted to leave you with a prayer for the summer that we also shared last year.
We hope you too will find time to rest and enjoy a different pace of life this summer.
Wishing you a wonderful summer! The Living Leadership team
Father,
You are the giver of every good gift and I am your finite creation and beloved child.
I receive the gift of days without work as a good gift from you.
Free me from false guilt and help me to make the most of this time.
May my “holiday” be a sequence of holy days, encountering and enjoying you.
In my “leave,” may I abandon burdens I was not made to carry, and rejoice in you and your creation.
In my “vacation,” help me to be unoccupied with work and its stresses.
In my “break,” fracture the grip of unhealthy attitudes and patterns in my life.
May my “days off” be unhurried days of delight in those closest to me.
Recreate in me a clean heart during this time.
Refashion my rhythms in tune with your heart.
Restore my joy in your salvation.
Renew a right spirit within me that honours you in rest and in work.
Refresh my love for you and others.
May I live each day without work, aware of your presence and alive by your Holy Spirit,
Through Jesus Christ, my Lord,
Amen.