More tea Vicar?
Let’s be honest there is nothing quite like sitting down for a minute with a cup of tea. Amidst the busy hustle and bustle of life we all welcome a break, if you find your day dragging and seemingly empty there is also nothing quite like breaking the monotony with a cuppa. We all need a break from time to time but how often do we give ourselves a break, how often do we stop to care for ourselves for a moment?
I say this knowing that my family will tell you that, along with most Vicars, I am not the best at stopping for a break, but it is something I know I need – even God sits down for a break in the story of creation, having worked for 6 days he rested on the 7th.
As we rush from one thing to the next of course the question that arises is why? Is it maybe because we are trying to impress the world about us? Is it because we don’t feel we can stop, if we did our world would collapse? I read recently of a US bond trading company that spent a fortune running a new fibre optic cable directly, not using the existing cable poles and pipes which crisscross from town to town, but directly from Chicago to the stock exchange in New York. The aim was to have faster connection times and to be able to make a trade on the exchange before others in Chicago could. The new system did save time, by 4 thousandths of 1 second!
Jesus certainly was man who did an awful lot; in the 3 years of his active ministry he walked thousands of miles (no buses or trains back then), he met thousands of people, he talked with them, he healed and helped one and all and yet he also stopped and rested, he stopped and took stock – every day! He seems to have made a point of finding space each day to be away from the hustle and bustle, to be alone with his thoughts about all of life and to be with God. He withdraws from the crowds by a distance, he makes his way up the mountains to the high places; and these times sustained him!
Taking time out each day to stop, maybe taking a few tea breaks gives us time to breathe in again. Taking time out gives us space, space for reflection, time to think and space to connect with God through prayer – be that silent or with words. And this sustains! I wonder where you find space for a break with yourself and maybe with God? Take some time out, like a cup of tea it is amazing how refreshing it can be!
Blessings Bruce