May 18, 2009
May the Lord give you His peace!
For most of us, summer time is rapidly approaching. What a time to rejoice in rest, relaxation, friendship, and the opportunity to do things we have not been able to do in a while! Every summer, I take a few weeks to transition into the new lifestyle and try to remind myself what summer is all about. Believe it or not, there is a great spiritual and faith-filled dimension to summer time, rest, and leisure. A great challenge for all of us is to figure how to live more fully in a time where we have a break from school or work. Oftentimes when summer approaches most young people think that it is a time to be a bum, sleep all day, eat fast food all the time, stay out late, and not have a regular schedule of getting the essential things done in our lives. Trust me I have been there.
First, summer is a time to rest. After a long year of studying and working, it is nice to sit on the couch and watch a good movie. Or it is nice to lay outside, get some sun and read a good book. Also, it is a true gift to sleep in and catch up on some sleep that was sacrificed through the year. I find it so funny that people go on vacation and when they are done, and they are more tired then when they started! If we are tired at the end of our break or the end of the summer, it is definitely our fault.
True rest comes from not only from sleeping in or lounging around, it comes for what we do with the down time. Playing video games all day is not restful. Watching TV all day is not restful. Engaging in something that provides your body with rest as well as your mind and spirit is key as well. Read a good book, one that inspires you or is thought provoking. Schedule time to pray everyday and rest in the silence and presence of the Lord. One of the greatest gifts of the summer can be to find more time to be silent with the Lord and reduce the noisiness of our lives. I don’t know about you but my life sure is noisy at times and a break it so nice to get some alone time and truly rest with things that truly renew my mind and spirit.