Book some time for yourself this summer

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From the Pastor’s Pen – By Brian Horrobin

So here we are, with June coming to a close and summer right on the near horizon.

For many, this means a time for relaxing the hectic daily pace, lying by the pool and enjoying some sort of a vacation.

There is great benefit to resting from our regular routine and giving our bodies and minds a chance to be refreshed.

The beautiful and well known words of Psalm 23 bear this out: “The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul.”

Back in 2014 I enjoyed an 11-week sabbatical from my pastoral duties.

It was a glorious time for me as I visited a different church each Sunday, went on many prayer walks, and read lots and lots of Scripture.

I also napped a lot.

What I didn’t do was perform my normal duties of sermon preparation, counselling, attending meetings, and rushing around trying to deal with conflict.

For me, my “green pasture” was a grassy park where I read my Bible and my “still waters” were the shore of a beautiful lake where I took prayer walks.

Although most of us still need to be working at our jobs in the summer, yet there is usually some time to pursue leisure and avocational interests, as well.

I would encourage you to build some “unplanned” time into your summer schedule this year.

Relax, sit back, and refrain from trying to achieve something.

There will always be time for that, but we also need times of rest.

Don’t feel guilty about this, either, since God Himself even set the example by resting on the seventh day of creation.

Fall’s hectic pace will come around again quickly enough, so rest and relax a bit while you have the chance.

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