A Good Holiday

Are you ready for a holiday this summer? I certainly am!

Not all of us will be able to get away,  but hopefully there will be some opportunity for you, whether staying at home or going away, to have some kind of a break. There have been so many things going on in our personal, community and national life, I think we are all quite ready for some ‘time out’.

And what does a good holiday entail? It is not just ‘doing nothing’, but I think 3 key things:

First a good holiday will involve RESTING: This means stopping and disconnecting from our normal work and activities……we all need a change. Resting can mean ‘doing nothing’ or ‘doing something different’, but rest we must if we are to re-charge our physical, emotional  and spiritual batteries……so we are ready for the next period of activity. In the Bible we find that rest is commanded and encouraged for our good:

“The Sabbath (a rest day) was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.”  Mark 2v27

 “Come to me all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”  Matthew 11v28

Second a good holiday will involve RELATIONAL RENEWAL: When we are not doing what we normally do, we have time to re-engage with those closest to us and perhaps some new people we might meet. Our family and our friends and those we encounter are really important. The word holiday comes from the word ‘holy-days’ a time set aside every week to have a holiday…..to rest with each other and with God.

Third, a good holiday will involve RE-CREATION: What recreates me will be different to what recreates you. I am an activist by nature and achieving energises me. Realising this helped me to see that on holiday I still need to achieve something! I make sure I don’t do normal work, but I do find things I can do that are creative and enjoyable. For example, I like to do some of my nice home ‘jobs’ that I never have time to do at home e.g., sort out my photographs or do my scrap booking. I also like to do some walking and play some golf…what is it for you?

So, what does it mean to have a good holiday? We all wired differently, but we each need to think about how we are wired and the right blend of all of the above that will lead to a good holiday for us: Resting, Renewing Relationships and Re-creation.

With my prayers for a good holiday this year

Revd James – Rector St Peter’s Bishops Waltham and Blessed Mary Upham

 

Posted
2nd August 2022

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James' Blog