It has been a study in contrasts the past few weeks – for me personally. First of all, we had two weeks when the United Methodist General Conference was going on. I was trying to watch as much as I could – to keep up with all of the developments - while keeping up with all of my normal work. And all of that led up to some time away. As all of that was unfolding, I was trying to get ready for my spring retreat. I left for the beach and retreat time, last Monday – and the pace slowed – dramatically! Which was probably aided in part that my church email was temporarily not working correctly. Then, after a few days of slow, peaceful rest, it was right back to a busy routine here at home and at church.

Can you relate? You work extra hard – to go away – to rest – relax – have fun. And then – come home to working extra hard to catch up and get back on track. Sometimes you wonder; is it worth it?

I would guess many can relate. Why do we put ourselves through the paces? Because, for very many that time away is so precious. Sometimes, we are away with family, or friends, and a big part of what we are after is uninterrupted time and memories. Sometimes we might be by ourselves, and the big goal is peace, or rest. Whatever your time away looks like – a few days at the beach, or camping, a trip to some special location, visiting family or friends, I encourage you to take the time as you can. The potential blessings are worth the whiplash that seems to occur before and after the trip.

But I want to encourage you to consider something else as well. How can you have some “away time” on a regular basis – at home – without the whiplash? How can you build in some time for rest, for peace, for fellowship, amidst all of the normal (busy) routine?

Being away a few days made me see how dry and tired I was. Retreat time was like an oasis experience. It replenished me quite a bit. But we are made in the image of God – not of camels, where we are meant to “fill up” and go for long times and distances without stopping and refreshing. God gave us the rhythm of Sabbath, a weekly time of rest and refreshment. My retreat (in part) reminded me, I need to take more regular time, to get a bit of refreshment in between the special (big) times of rest and refreshment. I suspect that this is true for most people as well. We all need to take (more) regular time for rest along our journey. Maybe, just maybe that might cut down on a few whiplash complaints that so many suffer just trying to get by.

Grace, Mercy, and Peace,
Pastor Blaine