Recreate for rest — Faith — Stylin' Granny Mama

The word respite is a waiting word, but one that usually gives the idea of a welcome break. A respite is defined by Webster’s Online Dictionary as (noun) a period of temporary delay, an internal rest or relief; as (verb) to grant a temporary period of relief to, or to grant a respite to, or to put off or delay. A respite is a term also applied to giving a caregiver a break from caring for an ill loved one.

As I type this my husband and I are on, what I would call, a respite. We got away for the purpose of rest and relief. Although, I think a true respite would be to completely unplug, with no phone or internet, something that is rarely attained, even when we purpose to do it. However, just getting a change of scenery and getting outside can provide a similar benefit to a true respite.

Doesn’t that picture make you want to get away? Ha, ha. Getting away is something both my spouse and I find cathartic to the chaos filled, fast paced and anxiety inducing lives we are often living. Even though we no longer have children at home, we live close to our girls, and in turn our grandsons. This is a wonderful thing and I count myself very blessed to have both of our grandsons in our lives and to be a part of helping our daughters and their significant others take care of and have input in their lives.

In addition to family my spouse’s job keeps him busy, and I have my blog and all the other responsibilities of maintaining a home, grocery shopping, making meals, laundry, the list goes on. As with most people we are also constantly bombarded by images, noise, and input in the form of news, social media, and everything else we have access to on the internet.

As I have in all the past posts on A Year of Waiting, I find a definite connection to our waiting on the Lord. So often, God brings circumstances into our lives to bring us into a waiting position. We are to wait for Him, whether it is for deliverance, justice, healing, rescue, hope, glory or perfection. Waiting is much less about what we are waiting for and more about who brought us to a place of waiting.

The Old and New Testaments are full of examples of men and women who had to wait. Noah had to wait while building the ark for the actual flood, over 100 years of waiting. Abraham waited a lifetime for a son. Hannah waited for a child. The people of Israel waited 400 years before they were lead out of slavery from the Egyptians. Simeon waited his whole life for the One who would save Israel. Jesus waited approximately 30 years before starting his public ministry. Life is filled with waiting.

When we look closely at the word respite we see it is a waiting that is meant for good. Indeed, I believe that all waiting brought about by God’s orchestration is meant for our good. As I mentioned in my original post at the beginning of this year, Word for 2024: Wait, waiting can be to keep us safe, give us rest, or give us time to think through a decision or recover from a difficult circumstance or tragedy.

Unfortunately, finding a respite in these busy, chaos filled, and tragic times can be difficult. It really takes a choice and often a predetermined plan. Whether you need to find time to spend with God or time to regroup and reenergize, or time to grieve and heal, the best way to get a respite is to schedule it in just like you would a doctor’s appointment, a trip to the gym, or a visit with a friend.

Don’t think of it so much in terms of quantity as in quality. An individual who is providing long term care for a sick or aging family member finds they are much better able to cope when they can just walk a way, even for a short time period. Whether it be 15 or 30 minutes for a walk outside, a two hour walk around the mall, or an entire weekend in a different location you can find respite in the smallest of changes and moments.

Also, recognize what might work for me, might not work for you. Not everyone likes the outdoors. I can actually sit out on our patio on a sunny day and feel like I am getting away from whatever struggle I am dealing with. Both my spouse and I love to take walks and hike, but not everyone does. The point is to find what works for you.

Respite is a type of waiting that is important for all of us to do. God made the Sabbath for our benefit, and for His glory, but it seems in this day and age, we have forgotten how to rest and be still, whether you believe the Sabbath is on Saturday or Sunday. God knew how restless a people we would be and also how fatigued we would become from our nonstop lifestyle.

“10 “Cease striving and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.””

— Psalm 46:10 (NASB 1995)

“28 “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.
29 Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
30 For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.””

— Matthew 11:28-30 (NASB 1995)

I hope you will find time for a respite, and find time to go to the Creator of your soul who truly knows how to give you rest.

A few weeks ago I wrote a post dealing with our need for rest. I was not speaking to the need for physical rest, so much as the need for mental and emotional rest from this chaotic world we currently find ourselves in. In that post I discussed three things that keep us from finding the rest we need: anxiety, lack of hope and misplaced trust. I also looked at what Jesus said to us in Matthew 11:28-30. In these verses we find three actions Christ calls us to take to find rest in Him: come, take and learn. This week I’d like to look at a few practical ways to help us find this much needed mental and emotional rest.

Get away from it all.

I love the picture above. Doesn’t it look like a wonderfully peaceful place? I could easily see myself there just looking out over the beautiful scenery and allowing my mind and emotions to move back to the center of God’s love and peace. Getting away from the typical and usual is so important to allow our mental and emotional faculties to reboot and rest.

Getting away does not mean you have to go on a road trip to some remote location, although that sounds wonderful to me. Throw in a road trip on a motorcycle and I think it would be perfect. Ha, ha. Getting away can be as simple as unplugging from all your electronic devices and taking a stroll at a local park. It is important for our brains to take a break from the constant stream of information, especially the overwhelming negative information that we receive regularly in our news feeds. Here is an interesting article on that idea.

Take time for self care.

We hear a lot about this idea of self care from bloggers, Instagram accounts and others. What exactly it looks like is really up to you. Self care is just that, caring for yourself. Your self care routine may involve a manicure, a pedicure, a facial or a massage. If you have a beach or park near by you might make time to take regular walks, not only clearing your head, but clearing your arteries as well. If you are like me and don’t have access to a beach and don’t have a lot of extra money you might take yourself thrifting, watch a show on Netflix or read a good book.

Let’s get real here, ladies. I know that many of you do not take time for self care, especially if you are my age or older. We were taught to work hard and that doing those frivolous activities were not part of being a good Christian, but that is ridiculous. Even Jesus got away, by Himself for periods of time, to get away from the crowds, his rambunctious disciples and reconnect with his Father in heaven. I am preaching to the choir friends. I struggle with this too. What I need to do is make my self care choices count, not just for the down time that I need, but as a way to be healthier and reconnect with my Lord.

Find what brings you joy and make that part of your self-care routine. Whether it is gardening, sewing, reading, writing, running, or taking a long relaxing bath, find a self care routine that will take your towards the rest that you need.

Tap into creativity.

Everyone has some sort of creative bent. Even those who are in the practical sciences like medicine, engineering and computer science have hobbies and interests that tap into a creative parts of their brains. My father, who was an airplane mechanic, also enjoyed working the wood lathe and creating different items like a drying rack for towels and beautifully crafted pulpits for local churches. My mother, who kept the books for many years for my father’s business loved to sew. She made clothes for us when we were young and then got into quilting with a few other church ladies when she was older. There is nothing more therapeutic than working with your hands. I used to embroider and cross stitch, but now my creative outlet is writing.

What is something creative that you like to do? Or perhaps you have always longed to try it, but haven’t gotten up the gumption yet to commit. Do you want to sing, act, paint, dance, bake, cook or plant beautiful flowers? Find a creative outlet, that can take your mind off of the daily grind and the difficulties around you, even if it is just for a little while. That creative break will make you ready to go back to real life, and leave you better rested and equipped to handle it.

Learn how to recreate.

The word recreate as defined by Webster’s Online Dictionary means, “to give new life or freshness to; to create again; to take recreation.” The word recreation means, “refreshment of strength or spirits after work; a means of refreshment or diversion.” In essence when you recreate you are bringing freshness and new life to your person, whether it be physical, mental or emotional.

Just as self care applies to you specifically and tapping into creativity is yours to explore; each person has to figure out how best to recreate. My spouse and I like to travel, hike and camp. We haven’t had the ability to do very many of those things over the last year and a half due to Covid and it is definitely affecting our well being and our ability to feel at rest. We have tried to take walks by the river, as well as do a few shorter trips just to get a change of scenery. Those things help, but I feel like we need a few other options. There are plenty of books on recreation and leisure, so I might check some of those out.

These are just a few ideas for attaining that rest we all desperately need; the rest of mind, emotion and spirit. What practical things do you do to find rest? I’d love to hear your thoughts.

Have a great day!

A Year of Waiting - Respite

Our Need for Rest - Part 2