Summertime and the Living is Easy

 

Rest… A break from all the bustle and activity. Rest…A chance to renew, to stop, to slow. Rest… And end of work, if only for a little while. Rest…An opportunity to stop doing that you may simply be. Rest…What a beautiful word!

Jesus' simple invitation in Mark 6:30-34 to "Come away to a deserted place all by yourselves and rest awhile" is not just an invitation to take an afternoon off or go on vacation -- though those may be important elements -- this is an invitation to loosen our shackles and climb out of the cages following the year of Covid19 confinement. It's an invitation to stop the rat race that defines success by more possessions and not by the substance or quality of our lives.

 Maybe that's the essence of Sabbath rest and our Scripture discussion and reflection?  They provide a chance to step back from the things consume our time and distract us from God's presence in our lives. Jesus wants us to rest. He wants us to recognize the “trap” we call success and the rat race we call modern life. He wants us to reflect on how much time we really spend together and actually enjoy the things we’ve worked so hard to attain. 

God wants us to live a fully abundant life that is measured qualitatively and+ not quantitatively.

How do we begin? Maybe we might consider just one evening when we will shut down our computer, or turn off our cell phones or, say no to one obligation or appointment. After all, it’s summertime and the living is easy.