“I don’t have time to go on vacation.” A friend said that to me once when my family was getting ready to leave for a week at Hilton Head Island.
I thought about that statement a lot as I prepared for the trip. Truth be told, I really didn’t have time to go on vacation either. My schedule was packed with a book deadline, media interviews for a new book release, classes to prepare for conferences where I’d be on faculty and a dozen other time-sensitive items.
I’d packed in a hurry between other responsibilities, whirling around like a long-tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs, stress emanating from every pore. As my husband pulled our packed vehicle out of the driveway for our trip, I slumped into my seat, totally exhausted—physically, mentally and, yes, even spiritually.
I’d given and given until there was nothing left to give.
Over the next few days, I spent time with my adult children enjoying a leisurely breakfast on the patio at the bakery near Harbour Town. We talked and laughed and just enjoyed being together.
I pushed swings at the playground, soaking in the infectious giggles of my grandbabies, watching the pure joy on their faces as they played.
My favorite husband and I sat in the red rocking chairs on the waterfront, holding hands and watching the sun as it set, as the Master Artist painted the sky in vivid colors.
I sat on the grass by the lagoon, cheering as my little granddaughter caught a fish far bigger than those the men had pulled in that afternoon. And I absorbed the sweetness of the moments as we biked around the island, catching glimpses of a mama deer and her babies, and enjoying the Spanish moss as it swayed in the breeze like a grandmother’s shawl.
I rested.
And as I sat on the deck at our villa watching the alligator sunning on the bank of the lagoon, I had time to worship, truly worship the God who made the beauty I was enjoying.
I read my Bible when I’m at home. I pray. But when I’m still, I’m able to enjoy His company, to listen to His voice in a way I don’t when I’m rushing around in the midst of my busy days.
I discovered something important that week: I don’t have time to NOT rest. You see, when I returned home from those few days away, I was refreshed.
My soul had spent time with God. I’d enjoyed days with the ones I love most in the world. I’d even had some creative time for future book projects as I’d pedaled around the island.
Even God rested after he created the earth. When is the last time you rested?
Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. (Matthew 11:28)
Book Excerpt: The Radical Pursuit of Rest–Escaping the Productivity Trap
