by JoAnn Flett, Executive Director | Center for Faithful Business
I was recently in a meeting with some non-profit leaders in the Pacific Northwest, when one of the leaders remarked, “Who says summer is a restful time of year?” The sentiment was echoed by other leaders who entered the summer months anticipating rest. But what they found instead was increased busyness and more intense demands. The simple truth is that work will always demand your attention. This is why you will often need to prioritize taking a vacation.
So, I’d like to invite you to step away, or more precisely, to be intentional about taking time away to rest and recharge. The truth is I am not very good at doing this important action myself. However, we are created with participating in rest as an important aspect of humanity as modeled by our Creator God. So, this summer, I want to invite you to be purposeful in finding time to rest, to stop working and reflect.
Here is a shortened excerpt from a prayer that I have been pondering the past few days. Ted Loder’s Guerrillas of Grace “Let Me Live Grace-fully”
Thank you, Lord,
for this season of summer
of sun and slow motion,
Let this season be for me
A time of gathering together the pieces
Into which my busyness has broken me.
Most of all, Lord,
Let me live easily and grace-fully for a spell,
So that I may see other souls deeply
And find the right words to tell another who I am.
Maybe the ‘muscle’ that we exercise in this season of increased demands, is being intentional in taking time to rest. I pray that it will be a time of ‘gathering together the pieces (of yourself) into which busyness has broken me.” If you would like to share with us the ways you are resting please drop us a note at cfb@spu.edu we’d love to know what you do to recharge in the summer months.
