How do you rest?  We all know we need rest, but that it can be hard to find, schedule, enjoy and protect.  Resting doesn’t always come naturally, even though it should.

That’s what we’ll look at this week, because our strategies for rest don’t always work.

How many times have you said “I need a vacation?”  Unfortunately, it’s not always the best thing for us!  Did you know that studies have shown going on vacation, you face an increased risk of road or sports accidents, and depending on where you go, digestive ailments.  Employees with high levels of stress show a greater incidence of colds, poor mood and minor physical ailments in the first three days of vacation.

Sometimes we need a vacation after the vacation.  Earlier this year, my family had a return flight bumped on us, and we could move it to the day before or the day after, and either shorten our time away by a day or lengthen it.  We loved our time away, and were having fun, but still voted to shorten it and enjoy a day or two of recovery from vacation before everyone went back to work and school.

We needed a vacation from the vacation!

Question: How do you find rest?

Ryan Sim - May 29, 2013

Wednesday - Change It - Worry

Today we see why worrying is useless…for us, at least. We can't make our lives longer. We can actually shorten our lives with worry. The line that Jesus used could even mean making bodies longer…which is definitely not something that happens after adulthood. God provides in nature - not a direct drop from heaven - but he's readied nature. UN: The greatest scandal of our age is the fact that just under 1 billion people on the planet go to bed hungry every night. This is despite the fact that we produce more than enough to feed every single person in the world. The problem is not a shortage but rather that the undernourished who need food most cannot access it. God also provides through others – generosity God does this in a world where trouble and accidents happen. We will not avoid them. This is not a promise you won’t meet with trouble. But don’t worry, or become anxious about it. You were made for eternity anyway. Jesus is saying you are much more than that - made for heaven. Think of a Panda - it eats bamboo almost all the time it's awake. We humans are made for much more than sustenance. In famines, this kind of single focus may be necessary. But this is not the usual condition for us. More relevantly today in the West, we are meant for more than selfish ambition. We are made for loving, giving, caring, serving. Question: What has God already put in our world to answer your worry concerns?

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