Life in the Slow Lane
May 23, 2020 – These past few days have reminded me of the importance of soul care. You just can’t spend your entire life in the fast lane. We all need margin to enjoy some down time and recreation. We are designed for life in our heavenly home—the restored earth, as God intended for us from the very beginning. Restoration brings total healing. We need this desperately. What I’m learning is that this is something we have to fight for every day. Our world is wired to function so differently from God’s design. Even in the church we can find ourselves drawn toward busyness and self-sufficiency. We have to break free. Exercise is good for the body. Slowing down is good for the soul.
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Is there room in your life for fun? Maybe you have the time, but does your busyness and exhaustion compel you to escape into “alone time?” Don’t misunderstand me, silence and solitude are restorative to the soul. We need these as intentional practices in our lives, but we also need fun. When is the last time you read a novel, played a game, or simply sat around a dinner table or in a living room to have a relaxing conversation full of joy and laughter? In our culture of productivity and efficiency, we’ve almost lost the art of recreation.
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Then God looked over all he had made, and he saw that it was very good! And evening passed and morning came, marking the sixth day. So, the creation of the heavens and the earth and everything in them was completed. 2 On the seventh day God had finished his work of creation, so he rested from all his work. 3 And God blessed the seventh day and declared it holy, because it was the day when he rested from all his work of creation.
-Genesis 1:31-2:3 (NLT)
-Genesis 1:31-2:3 (NLT)
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Two things I would highlight from these verses. God wants us to live in a natural rhythm of work and rest, and then, set aside an entire day to pull away from all the worries and cares of life. This is his heart for us. Rest is more than sleeping. By all means, please get enough sleep, but rest is also recreation. Leave your work at work. Prepare meals together as a family. Invite friends to join you. Your soul was made to live this way.
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