Sacred Rest

Finding peace in extraordinary times...

During last year and early this year I had been desiring a break from the modern world and all its demands on your time and energy and then out of nowhere this unexpected event has happened that has thrown us into a different way of life, a different rhythm and we have had choices to make.
Do I crumble or do I stand strong and carry on as best as I can?

Over the last few months all of us around the world have had to make this choice. I don't know where you are or what kind of life you lead but I am pretty sure you have had to make some choices on how you're going to get through a global pandemic. We all have responsibilities and people in our lives to take care of, not to mention taking care of ourselves to get through this time as best as we can.

That's why I threw myself into lots of preserving, making jam and baking lots of different delicious goodies for my husband and sons. To keep me focused and give me something else to do. Even though our days were still busy with homeschooling, I had my husband home which we all have loved and we also couldn't go to our usual activities and church or see family and friends.
That is why we got chickens the day before lockdown and it turned out to be such a huge blessing for all of us.

Read my welcome post to see some photos of our hens.

I decided to see our lockdown as a huge blessing from God and use the time as a special sacred rest time, a huge unexpected sabbath from the world and the busy lives we lead.
As a family we embraced extra time together with more daily walks than usual and twice weekly family bible studies. These were such precious moments and we are continuing these routines as a special addition to our family time together. Our boys enjoyed more play time with lego and crafts and more reading time of favourite books. Every Saturday night we have a family movie night with treats and had fun deciding on what movie to watch.

Since we couldn't go to church and we still can't, we are doing online services with our church and we have settled into the new routine quite well. It enables us to all be together throughout the whole service and we partake in communion which has been special for us.

Simple but perfect in every way that is important.

There are many ways we can embrace rest, not only in these times but as a way to carry on a quieter rhythm.
I enjoy my early morning cup of tea and sacred reading time, lighting candles, afternoon tea, enjoying good literature.

As a family we have been thinking how we can continue the quieter pace that we loved while in lockdown. While we all did miss some activities and seeing family and friends, it was the hum and busyness that we didn't miss.
The streets were quiet as no one was driving anywhere. We weren't driving anywhere. Except for the supermarket.

So we are slowly returning to normal, making careful choices as to how often we do visits with people, how often we go to activities. We haven't been to the shops except for our favourite book store.

Whether you're still in lockdown somewhere or coming out of it and trying to decide how to return to normal, reflect on what you enjoyed about the slower pace you may have experienced. I know this time has been extremely challenging for a lot of people and may not have been a good time at all for some of you. However, it is my hope and prayer for you all, that as we have all experienced a break from the modern world, rushing here and there, you can all take away something positive from it to help you make some better choices for the future.

Always try to make time for some rest, in whatever way that looks for you.

Take care and many blessings to you,
Fiona

"Be still, and know that I am God." Psalm 46:10a