Good afternoon, friends. This is Pastor Don. Mary Ann and I just came back from three days away. We needed some down time – the kind that you can’t get at home! I suppose, from certain points of view, it would be hard to justify those three days. We produced very close to nothing tangible.
And yet, I feel refreshed, my mind is more centered, I feel like Mary Ann and I tended to our relationship, and my body is rested. And…I have to say that what we did in these last three days feels more right and more in line with the natural, God-created, pattern of the universe than many other things that I do.
I’m pretty sure that I am just refreshed enough that I can handle the stresses of my everyday life with just a bit more equilibrium, a bit more sensitivity to the still, small, voice of God, and with a bit more compassion. Time will tell about that, I suppose.
Winter is the season when all of the earth (at least in this part of the earth) seems to take some down time where plants rest, restore their systems, and get ready for growth again in the Spring.
Jesus seemed to have a habit of every now and again, going into the mountains to pray. He left his place of ministry, left the crowds, and the cries for help to tend to his soul. He encouraged his disciples to “come apart.”
I guess I would say to you what they have said to me a number of times at minister’s retreats: “Come apart, or you’ll be sure to come apart.”
LET’S PRAY – Jesus, you never were one to become frenzied in your work while you were among us. May we have the wisdom to keep our lives balanced and life-giving. Amen.
