Daily we get up and fight the good fight – providing for our families, being a rock for others during the storms of life, and offering our strength for the good of our communities. It’s necessary work and work we’re willing to do. But it’s still work and work that requires a lot of us. We need regular times of respite to care for our own labored souls.
Needing a break from the burdens of life is not a failure or a sign of weakness. God himself rested after his work of creation. And we do well to follow his pattern.
A respite is simply a time to rest and recover from difficult or exhausting work. This can be as simple as sitting outside and enjoying the cool breeze or taking a walk around our neighborhood. Naps are often an underrated but deeply restorative joy. And grabbing lunch with a friend or scheduling a kid-free weekend just because can also be restorative to our souls. Whatever it looks like, it’s a time to pause, breathe, and just be – allowing ourselves to be filled with life again.
We often feel guilty about taking such breaks because there’s so much work still to be done. But respites remind us that we’re not God. Like the farmer, while we have our part to play, life does not ultimately rest on our shoulders. And we soon become ineffective when we don’t allow time for our souls to rest. Perhaps the quality of our work suffers, or we become so overwhelmed that we spend more and more time distracted and checked out from our life and relationships.
Respite is not an excuse for laziness. And some seasons just require more of us than others. But we cannot serve others or advance the work God has given us to do when we don’t take the time to care for our own souls.
In the end, continue to work hard – bringing more life and goodness into the world around you. And remember to take regular times of respite along the way. Your soul will thank you and your impact will increase.
Photo by Jeremy Bishop on Unsplash
