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| Picture courtesy of my daughter Tessa Dominican Republic |
Psalms 23:2
I've developed an addiction, but only when I'm driving. No it is not texting , thankfully!
As a sales/trainer of dental software I spend a lot of my day in my red Jeep driving to and from dental offices. Sometimes these trips are only minutes away, some are four or more hours, and some destinations require overnight stays. And it is because of all these hours in my Jeep, alone, just me and the road and my radio, that I've become somewhat addicted to my free trial of Sirius Radio. Stars on Sirius to more precise. And Dr. Laura to be exact.
(If you're ever dry of story ideas, I'd advise to listen to Dr. Laura! Man, there are some people who have pretty messed up lives! My prayers go to them.)
A recent caller had just been through a year of deaths, illnesses, and job stress. I felt for this man. He was "crackin' up" he said, not sure if he could handle anymore of life. I waited for Dr. Laura to give him a 'to do' list of activities that could help with the stress. You know the ones: exercise, eat proper, journal, talk to friends etc.
But nope. Grab a beer and head to the beach for awhile, she said. Put your toes in the sand, your head back, enjoy a few brews, and relax for a couple of weeks. In other words she told him to go on a Vacation!
A vacation? Really? I thought. No 'to do' list to heal, get over our wounds, deal with stress?
The caller laughed, the lightness in his voice evident for the first time, probably in months, maybe even years. Yeah, he said, I could sure use some sun and beach!
God calls us to lie down at times. And it's okay! You're not being lazy. There is a time for rest, a time to be by quiet waters that refresh and revitalize; a time to restore your body and your soul.
May you let yourself rest with a peaceful mind and heart.
16 comments:
What a beautiful post. I don't go on vacation often, so when I do it feels surreal.
Rest is so important, it lets us really live fully. Otherwise fatigue drains so much, we're not giving 100% to whatever our focus is. Love Dr. L's advice.
And the next piece of advice would involve leaving all forms of communication (laptop, cellphone) at home while you're on vacation. ;)
I do go on vacation, once a year, but I am now learning to take little mini-retreats during the day. It is working wonders.
Karen
Oh, what great advice. Why is taking a vacation so hard to do? We all need it!
This is EXACTLY what I needed to read today! Thanks for writing it so beautifully!
I love her advice! Yes God does want us to rest too--epsecially in Him.
I love that advice. It's one we in our modern-day societies don't listen to enough. We go go go, filling our lives and hours with so many things to do. Our soul needs rest.
Good words. It's hard to keep up with all my duties every day. I want to be more gracious to myself, and find rest in each season. Thank you!
I love vacations! We do a lot of little vacations with our kids (sometimes w/o).
Such a great post Lynn. =)
I absolutely love the message of this post, Lynn. What a wonderful and freeing answer that must have been for that man. Good for Dr. Laura! :-)
Fascinating!
Vacations can do wonders for the soul. No doubt!
What a great post. Vacations definitely help and sometiems, if you can't find the sun, you just need that night in front of the TV to turn off your mind and relax. I know it's not productive, but sometimes it works.
That sounds like some good advice. I hope he took it, and it helped him!
Great post and so true! Glad I stopped by your blog tonight
What a great reminder, Lynn. Sometimes we just need to STOP and breathe!
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