Holiday

Tomorrow I go on holiday. Can’t wait. Seems like a long time since the last one (always does, doesn’t it?). We’re going back to Skye because we loved it so much last year and want to explore more of it. I’m hoping it rains! And I’m hoping it will be cold. No, seriously I am. I was given a nice new coat for Christmas that is made especially for this kind of terrain and climate, and I want to try it out in the proper conditions. It claims to be fully waterproof and it has a fleece lining and I want to prove it’s both warm and waterproof. Sad but true. I want to play golf too, so I don’t want it to be raining all the time! And we want to walk in the mountains because it is just so magnificently beautiful. I love being out in the wild, in the mountains, in the weather. I might even see some sea eagles which would be wonderful too! I’m taking my binoculars (which I usually manage to forget) so I’ve got the best chance of seeing them. But, most of all, a holiday is a break. A break from the pressure of the weekly tasks, expectations and challenges. And we all need a break. We really do. We don’t have to go to Skye to do that (I realise the privilege of being able to though), but we all need to find ways of stopping, resting, catching our breath, finding space to think and reflect. There are lots of different ways we can say it, but we need to have times when the mind and body can rest. Even Jesus did that. He had times when he withdrew to a quiet place. Mostly the crowds tried to follow him, but he knew the importance of getting away from the hubbub and the demands and the pressure and the expectations they put on him. And if Jesus needed to do that, then it seems to me that it’s good for us too. Jesus did it to get away from the demands of the people, but also to get time with his Father. Perhaps it’s true to say that Jesus needed times to re-focus, to be able to reflect on what he held to be the most important things, not just the ones that demanded his attention. Perhaps he needed to re-centre, get some perspective, remind himself of the purpose for which he came. And maybe we do too. I certainly do. I’ve been wrestling with life and faith and church and chaplaincy and counselling, and sometimes I simply get lost in it all. I spend lots of time trying to work things out, get the balance right, think ahead, plan, deliver…and sometimes I lose sight of the very thing I claim is most important. So, what I’m hoping is that, in the beauty of the mountains, in the cold and the rain (and the sun), on the golf course, while reading and painting, I can find a way to let God in. That’s been really hard lately. But I’m hoping, that if I give it my attention in ways that have got lost in the business of doing, I might find solace and refreshment. I have to do my bit and give God room to move, but I’m convinced he’s ready to do his bit simply because he wants nothing more than to meet me where I am. And he wants to meet with you too. Turns out His Father always turned out when Jesus took time out!