If this sounds familiar, you, like many people, may be caught in a holi-daze. Cooking, shopping, entertaining, cleaning, organizing take precedence over all else, including personal and spiritual rituals that are a necessary part of our overall well-being.

I remember one year when I hardly looked up from October 1 to December 31. October was a month of birthdays, anniversaries, and a wedding. In November we had a family reunion at our home for Thanksgiving followed by a weekend of sight-seeing for those in from out of town. The next week began my husband’s busiest retail season of the year – prior to Christmas. Then there was choir practice, holiday parties, the children’s play, the family advent workshop, holiday gift swaps, and Christmas cookie exchanges.

I was spent by the time we took down our Christmas tree and ushered in the New Year with a cup of hot cider. I wished I were a bear so I could hibernate for the rest of the winter! vowed that year that I would never again allow myself to become so frazzled. I wanted to enjoy the holidays, not merely endure them, to rejoice in them, not simply react to them. And to take time to rest – even in the midst of the excitement and celebration.

This new commitment led me back to Scripture. I wanted to know what God says about rest–both His promises and His mandates. Here’s what I found. I hope you will feel encouraged to build on them.

Rest from burdens

“Come to me, all you who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28 NIV)

Imagine – the Lord himself invites us to put down our load when we are tired and overwhelmed. What better time to respond to this invitation than during the Thanksgiving and Christmas season? Merchants don’t want you to rest. They want you to buy their goods and services. Bankers don’t want you to rest. They want to loan you money so they can charge you interest. Friends don’t offer to give you rest. They want you to come to their party or dinner or serve on a committee at church or at work. And your children and spouse? Well, they may sympathize that this season is demanding, but do they want you to rest? Not really. If you do, who’ll prepare the meals and shop for gifts, organize the family get-together, and pay for it all when the bills arrive?

Only the Lord wants you to rest. Only He wants you to come away with Him when you are weary and heavy-laden. When you hear His call, put down whatever you’re doing. It’ll be there when you return. Follow His lead. “Take five” with God today. Find a quiet space. Retreat from your burdens. Relax and refresh yourself.

Rest from work

“Six days you shall labor, but on the seventh day you shall rest; even during the ploughing season and harvest you must rest” (Exodus 34:21 NIV).

Even as the Israelites were commanded to rest during harvest, we too must rest during the busyness of holiday celebrations. Set aside some vacation days for this season of the year. Too many of us try to work normal hours and shop and cook and decorate and entertain. Then we wonder why we come down with a cold or the flu or a bout of depression. We need to rest. We deserve to rest. We require rest.

God knows this and that’s why He commands us to rest on the seventh day – even in the midst of the busiest seasons of the year – whether at work or at home or in our communities. Our work will live on long after we’re gone. Other people will take up the plough and bring in the harvest – and decorate the tree, prepare the turkey, buy and wrap the gifts. It is up to each of us to look within, and to find ways to refill our well. For some of us that means turning off the computer, turning on the message machine, saying no to an invitation, saying yes to the desire to take a nap, simplifying the way we do our jobs -taking on less and giving away more.

There is a time to work and a time to rest. When the Lord calls us to rest even during the busy times, let us not be so consumed with our routine that we miss this opportunity.

Rest from people

“Then because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, ‘Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest’” (Mark 6:31 NIV).

My husband walked through the front door, tossed his jacket and keys on the chair in the hallway and let out a big sigh. “I’ve had enough of people,” he said, obviously spent after a long day behind the customer service counter at the store where he works. “What’s happening to our world?” he asked as we walked into the dining room for dinner. “This is supposed to be a happy time of year. Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year’s. But people are impatient, angry, in a hurry. I’ll be glad when it’s all over.”

Some relaxing music, a few moments of prayer together, and a good night’s sleep helped my husband come back to normal. Like Jesus, he felt the press of the crowd and he needed to retreat for a few hours.

We all know that feeling. There are times when we absolutely must be alone – away from the noise, the bustle, the anxiety that seems to run through the masses. Jesus experienced it often. And at such times he went off alone or with a small band of friends, to pray, to listen to His heavenly Father, to rest.

How much our lives would change for the better if we, like Jesus, did what our heavenly Father tells us to do. Rest from people.

Rest in the Lord

“He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty” (Ps. 91:1).

What an awesome truth to contemplate. Those who trust in the Lord will experience His protection. The God of the universe is telling us, His children, that He will protect us, that there is rest for us in the shadow of the Almighty. If we seek Him first, build our lives in and through Him, and put Him above everything else – even above family, our job, church, our civic duty, celebrations, we will never have to worry or fear.

How could we turn down such an invitation? God is our dwelling place and our plane of refuge and rest. Retreat to Him often during this stressful season and allow him to refresh your spirit, renew your mind, and refuel your body. Then you can participate in the holidays fully alert and able to share the good news of Jesus Christ. “Take five” with God today.

Journey through the holiday season by studying Advent
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“Before you leave the house,” I instructed, “you should make sure you put everything you need in their proper places. Preferably do this the night before so you won’t waste time the following morning.”

“Then before you start the car,” I added, “you should make sure you’re comfortable. Check your seat to be sure it’s positioned appropriately. Check the steering wheel. Check to see that your seat belt is fastened properly. Check all the instruments. You see I always put my Bible in the car on Saturday night. That way I don’t forget it.”

At this point my wife was breathing deeply.  She seemed annoyed at my Sunday sermon but she said nothing. Then halfway to church she exclaimed, “Oh no! I can’t believe this.  I forgot my Bible.”

“As I was saying,” I continued, “if you had put your Bible in the car last night…well, it’s too late to go back for it now,” I reprimanded. “You can share mine.”

I glanced at Arlette. She was drumming her fingers against her purse. “You should…” I stopped mid-sentence. I could tell I was in hot water.

But still – I knew I was right.

As I swung into the church parking lot I took a deep breath. There’s nothing to worry about, I consoled myself silently. If a person just thinks ahead, he or she won’t forget the essentials – like credit cards and one’s Bible, for heaven’s sake.

We got out of the car, and as was my habit, I checked my back pocket to be sure my wallet was in place.

Suddenly my face turned hot and my palms were wet.

“Oh, no,” I muttered, “I forgot my wallet. My credit cards and my driver’s license are at home.”

“Is that so?” my wife queried with great calm. It was all she really needed to say.

What I needed to say, Lord, was, “Please forgive me,” but I hung on to my pride. I regret that now. I know it’s never too late to apologize. Excuse me, Lord, while I take care of some important business with my wife.

Author Janet McHenry made it the focus of two of her books: PrayerWalk and Daily PrayerWalk. Recently I had the opportunity to speak with Janet about this growing trend–especially among women.

“How do you define prayerwalking?” I asked.

“Prayerwalking is praying for whatever God puts within your eyesight.  Steve Hawthorne, another writer on prayerwalking says it’s praying ‘on site with insight.’  And I agree–you trust God to help you see the needs as you walk, and then pray accordingly.”

Janet said she has experienced some profound results–physically and spiritually–as a result of her own prayerwalks. “I lost weight and dress sizes,” she said.  Aches and pains in her joints vanished, and she noticed more energy throughout her day.

“The depression that clouded most of my adult life has disappeared, and fears that prevented me from boldly stepping out and doing God’s will no longer control me.  I feel whole–in fact, my entire countenance has changed,” she added, smiling as she spoke.

Janet is as aware as anyone of how precious time is. “I work full-time as a high school English teacher, have four active, involved kids, and write and speak,” she said.

“What we need, however, is a new orientation as we’re deciding to seek a deeper relationship with God.  I now intentionally decide to live my day around the time I spend with Him, instead of the other way around.”

To accomplish this, Janet walks an hour each weekday beginning at 5 a.m. and to make that happen she’s let go of many things that were in the way–such as regular night meetings, lengthy phone conversations, internet time and television (which she has not watched for over 20 years)!

Janet said that meeting her “Personal Trainer each morning is more important than any of that.”   She claims that if we don’t communicate with the Creator, how can we expect to convince others of His importance to us.

I asked Janet about the benefits of prayerwalking with a partner–a spouse, for example, or a friend or one’s child.  “There are definite plusses to walking with someone else,” she said.  “A partner provides accountability, companionship, safety, and additional insight and agreement as you pray together.”

For example, on Mondays, Janet walks with her teacher-friend, Pam, around the schools in their community.

“I also know women who prayerwalk with their husbands,” Janet added,  “and I think that’d be wonderful.  My husband, however, is a rancher and the last thing he needs is more exercise in his physically demanding day.”

Janet said she prays silently when walking alone and both out loud and silently when she has a partner. And  how does she handle distractions such as running into a friend or noticing her mind wandering. “When I started prayerwalking,” she said, “distractions drove me nuts.  Then I realized they’re a reason for prayer!”  So now she gives those concerns to the Lord and leaves the results to Him.

Janet does not keep a literal or mental prayer list anymore, although certainly it’s fine to do so.  “I walk and trust that God will direct my sight to the needs in my community.

“Since I’ve been prayerwalking, I’ve begun to understand what it means to “pray without ceasing” as Paul teaches us to do (1 Thessalonians 5:17, NASB).  Once you get the vision that you’re to pray for whatever you see, wherever you are, your day becomes a stream of prayer,” she added.

“Instead of rolling your eyes in the grocery checkout line when a toddler starts fussing, you pray for the young mother and her child.  Instead of getting defensive when a coworker criticizes you, you ask God to show you how to pray for that person.  It’s a whole new outlook on life when you realize that wherever you are, whether you’re prayerwalking or not, God has given you the privilege and the opportunity to intercede for someone else.”

Janet readily admits that the benefits she’s received and the results she’s seen “are just drops in a shower of answered prayers in my town.  The incidence of drug use has dramatically lowered.  Blight is disappearing.  Marriages are healed and many have come to Christ with dramatic life changes.  It’s those answers to prayer that keep me getting up and putting on my walking shoes.”

Side-bar

John 11:41 motivates Janet and can be a source of encouragement to you if you decide to take up prayerwalking. “Father, I thank you that you have heard me” (NIV).  Pray expectantly. God cares and will hear and answer your prayers. Janet invites you to contact her through her website for more information or to share your experiences of prayerwalking.

I’ve also learned about homespun hospitality from people who clearly have the gift. The Carters of San Diego, for example, host a come-as-you-are vegetarian potluck supper the first Saturday night of the month. Guests spread the table with food and beverages, eat together, then enjoy an evening of companionship.

Chuck and Marita Noone of Albuquerque, New Mexico share spur-of-the-moment dinners with friends and neighbors. “We don’t always have an entire evening to spare,” says Marita, “but we have enough time to eat together and enjoy some conversation over a simple meal.”

Scented candles, pretty napkins, sparkling glasses, intimate lighting, and polished silverware can make even the simplest fare seem like a feast.

Some years ago on the other side of the world, I learned another dimension of hospitality. While in Morocco visiting my daughter and son-in-law who were there on a teaching assignment, I was introduced to the Moroccan custom of ‘afternoon visits.’ Each day about 4:00 Julie and I would either call on neighbors and friends or open her home to them. No advanced planning was necessary. It was simply the thing to do.

I returned home wishing we had such a ritual in the United States. I missed the cozy chats, the warm sweet tea served in small glass containers trimmed in gold, the welcome break after a long day. But after a few weeks I was back to my routine and didn’t think about afternoon visits or hot sugared tea again–until sometime later when a friend invited me for lunch for my birthday.

She prepared foods that were new to me: lentil soup, sea vegetables with grated carrot, brown rice and twig tea (yes, twig as in tree)! I went home nourished by her meal, her friendship, her kind gesture, and recommitted to recovering the lost art of hospitality for myself.

Today when I think of ways to do something for someone else, as well as for myself, I like to choose an action that will nourish both body and spirit. Food is a wonderful means to achieve both. And it doesn’t have to take half a day or more to make it happen.

Vegetable soup and homemade applesauce are two of my favorite dishes. Both are simple, warming, and festive. During the winter, especially, I prepare meals that include both. Add steamed rice, hot multi-grain bread, herbed green olives, and hot tea and we have a nourishing meal in less than an hour. Invite good friends to join us and we’ve created an evening of homespun hospitality and joy-filled moments.

How could she forgive the woman who had gone after her husband and ultimately married him?

I thought about her. I dreamed about her. I saw her in every woman I met. Some had her name, Cathy. Others her deep-set blue eyes or her curly dark hair. Even the slightest resemblance turned my stomach into a knot.

I felt trapped with my thoughts

Weeks, months, years passed. Was I never to be free of this woman who had gone after my husband and ultimately married him? I couldn’t go on like this. The endless rage, resentment, guilt, and anger drained the life out of everything I did. I went into counseling. I attended self-help classes, seminars, workshops. I read books. I talked to anyone who would listen.

I ran. I walked the beach. I drove for miles to nowhere. I screamed into my pillow at night. I meditated. I prayed. I blamed myself. I did everything I knew how to do–except surrender.

Then one Saturday in 1982 I was drawn to a day-long seminar on the healing power of forgiveness sponsored by a church in my neighborhood. After some discussion and sharing, participants were asked to close their eyes, then locate someone in their lives they had not forgiven–for whatever reason, real or imagined.

I did not want to forgive her

Next, the leader invited us to look at whether or not we’d be willing to forgive that person. My first thought was Cathy. My stomach churned again. My hands were suddenly wet, and my head throbbed. I felt I had to get out of that room, but something kept me in my seat.

How could I forgive a person like Cathy? She not only had hurt me but she’d hurt my children, also. So I turned my attention to other people in my life. My mother. She’d be easy to forgive. Or my friend Ann, or my former high school English teacher. Anyone but Cathy. But there was no escape. The name persisted, and her face grew large in my mind.

Then a voice within gently asked, “Are you ready to let go of this? To release her? To forgive yourself, as well?”

My unforgiveness was destroying me

I turned hot, then cold. I began to shake. I was certain everyone around me could hear my heart beating. Yes, I was willing. I couldn’t hold onto my anger any longer. It was killing me. In that moment, without doing anything else, an incredible shift in my perception took place. I simply let go!

When I let go of the anger – I couldn’t believe the freedom I experienced

I can’t describe it. I don’t know what happened or what prompted me at that moment to do something I had resisted so doggedly for months. All I know is that for the first time in four years I completely surrendered to the Holy Spirit. I released my grip on Cathy, on my ex-husband, on myself. I let go of the anger–just like that.

Within seconds, energy rushed through every cell of my body. My mind became alert, my heart lightened. I saw things I had not seen before. Suddenly I realized that as long as I separate myself from even one person, I separate myself from God.

How “righteous” I had been. How arrogant and possessive. How important it had been for me to be right, no matter what the cost. And it had cost me plenty–my health, my spontaneity, my aliveness.

I had no idea what was next, but it didn’t matter. That night I slept straight through till morning. No dreams. No haunting face. No reminders.

If it had been up to me alone, I don’t know if I would have had the courage or the generosity to make the first move. But it was not up to me. There was no mistaking the power of the Holy Spirit within me.

I wrote her a letter and truly forgave her

The following Monday I walked into my office and wrote Cathy a letter. The words spilled onto the page without effort.

“Dear Cathy,” I began. “On Saturday morning…,” and I proceeded to tell her what had occurred.

I told her how I had deliberately continued to separate myself from her, to judge her for what she had done and, as a result, how I denied both of us the healing power of forgiveness.

On Wednesday afternoon of the same week, the phone rang.

“Karen?”

There was no mistaking the voice.

“It’s Cathy,” she said softly.

Surprisingly my stomach remained calm. My hands were dry. My voice was steady and sure. I listened more than I talked–unusual for me. I found myself actually interested in what Cathy had to say.

She thanked me for the letter, and she acknowledged my courage in writing it. Then she told me how sorry she was–for everything. She talked briefly about her regret, her sadness for me, and more. All I had ever wanted to hear from her, she said that day.

Her words of apology paled in comparison to the deep peace God gave me

As I replaced the receiver, however, I realized that as nice as it was to hear her words of apology, they didn’t really matter. They paled in comparison to what God was teaching me. Buried deep in the trauma of my divorce was the truth I had been looking for all my life without even knowing it. God is my source, my strength, my very supply. He alone can minister healing.

For four years I had been caught in the externals, the reasons, the lies, the excuses, the jealousy, the anger. But now I had a clear experience of what had formerly been a stack of psychological insights. Now I really knew that no one can hurt me as long as I am in God’s hands. No one can rob me of my life–unless I allow them to.

My life is mine and every experience, no matter how painful or confusing it seems, can serve my spiritual growth. Every moment has its purpose if I am serving the Lord.

Since then I have started over again in another city–free of the binding ties of jealousy, anger, and resentment, free to experience all that God has for me. “‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ says the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future’” (Jeremiah 29:11,12).

God desires that you discover freedom and strength

God wants to be our leverage in living, empowering us to feel better about ourselves, more excited about our future, more grateful for those we love and more enthusiastic about our faith. He made a personal relationship possible between each one of us and Himself through His Son Jesus Christ.

You can receive Christ right now by faith through prayer. Praying is simply talking to God. God knows your heart and is not so concerned with your words as He is with the attitude of your heart. Here’s a suggested prayer:

Lord Jesus, I want to know you personally. Thank you for dying on the cross for my sins. I open the door of my life to you and ask you to come in as my Savior and Lord. Take control of my life. Thank you for forgiving my sins and giving me eternal life. Make me the kind of person you want me to be.

Does this prayer express the desire of your heart? You can pray it right now, and Jesus Christ will come into your life, just as He promised. Is this the life for you?

If you invited Christ into your life, thank God often that He is in your life, that He will never leave you and that you have eternal life. As you learn more about your relationship with God, and how much He loves you, you’ll experience life to the fullest.

I thought about her. I dreamed about her. I saw her in every woman I met. Some had her name, Cathy. Others her deep-set blue eyes or her curly dark hair. Even the slightest resemblance turned my stomach into a knot.

I felt trapped with my thoughts

Weeks, months, years passed. Was I never to be free of this woman who had gone after my husband and ultimately married him? I couldn’t go on like this. The endless rage, resentment, guilt, and anger drained the life out of everything I did. I went into counseling. I attended self-help classes, seminars, workshops. I read books. I talked to anyone who would listen.

I ran. I walked the beach. I drove for miles to nowhere. I screamed into my pillow at night. I meditated. I prayed. I blamed myself. I did everything I knew how to do–except surrender.

Then one Saturday in 1982 I was drawn to a day-long seminar on the healing power of forgiveness sponsored by a church in my neighborhood. After some discussion and sharing, participants were asked to close their eyes, then locate someone in their lives they had not forgiven–for whatever reason, real or imagined.

I did not want to forgive her

Next, the leader invited us to look at whether or not we’d be willing to forgive that person. My first thought was Cathy. My stomach churned again. My hands were suddenly wet, and my head throbbed. I felt I had to get out of that room, but something kept me in my seat.

How could I forgive a person like Cathy? She not only had hurt me but she’d hurt my children, also. So I turned my attention to other people in my life. My mother. She’d be easy to forgive. Or my friend Ann, or my former high school English teacher. Anyone but Cathy. But there was no escape. The name persisted, and her face grew large in my mind.

Then a voice within gently asked, “Are you ready to let go of this? To release her? To forgive yourself, as well?”

My unforgiveness was destroying me

I turned hot, then cold. I began to shake. I was certain everyone around me could hear my heart beating. Yes, I was willing. I couldn’t hold onto my anger any longer. It was killing me. In that moment, without doing anything else, an incredible shift in my perception took place. I simply let go!

When I let go of the anger – I couldn’t believe the freedom I experienced

I can’t describe it. I don’t know what happened or what prompted me at that moment to do something I had resisted so doggedly for months. All I know is that for the first time in four years I completely surrendered to the Holy Spirit. I released my grip on Cathy, on my ex-husband, on myself. I let go of the anger–just like that.

Within seconds, energy rushed through every cell of my body. My mind became alert, my heart lightened. I saw things I had not seen before. Suddenly I realized that as long as I separate myself from even one person, I separate myself from God.

How “righteous” I had been. How arrogant and possessive. How important it had been for me to be right, no matter what the cost. And it had cost me plenty–my health, my spontaneity, my aliveness.

I had no idea what was next, but it didn’t matter. That night I slept straight through till morning. No dreams. No haunting face. No reminders.

If it had been up to me alone, I don’t know if I would have had the courage or the generosity to make the first move. But it was not up to me. There was no mistaking the power of the Holy Spirit within me.

I wrote her a letter and truly forgave her

The following Monday I walked into my office and wrote Cathy a letter. The words spilled onto the page without effort.

“Dear Cathy,” I began. “On Saturday morning…,” and I proceeded to tell her what had occurred.

I told her how I had deliberately continued to separate myself from her, to judge her for what she had done and, as a result, how I denied both of us the healing power of forgiveness.

On Wednesday afternoon of the same week, the phone rang.

“Karen?”

There was no mistaking the voice.

“It’s Cathy,” she said softly.

Surprisingly my stomach remained calm. My hands were dry. My voice was steady and sure. I listened more than I talked–unusual for me. I found myself actually interested in what Cathy had to say.

She thanked me for the letter, and she acknowledged my courage in writing it. Then she told me how sorry she was–for everything. She talked briefly about her regret, her sadness for me, and more. All I had ever wanted to hear from her, she said that day.

Her words of apology paled in comparison to the deep peace God gave me

As I replaced the receiver, however, I realized that as nice as it was to hear her words of apology, they didn’t really matter. They paled in comparison to what God was teaching me. Buried deep in the trauma of my divorce was the truth I had been looking for all my life without even knowing it. God is my source, my strength, my very supply. He alone can minister healing.

For four years I had been caught in the externals, the reasons, the lies, the excuses, the jealousy, the anger. But now I had a clear experience of what had formerly been a stack of psychological insights. Now I really knew that no one can hurt me as long as I am in God’s hands. No one can rob me of my life–unless I allow them to.

My life is mine and every experience, no matter how painful or confusing it seems, can serve my spiritual growth. Every moment has its purpose if I am serving the Lord.

Since then I have started over again in another city–free of the binding ties of jealousy, anger, and resentment, free to experience all that God has for me. “‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ says the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future’” (Jeremiah 29:11,12 NIV).

God desires that you discover freedom and strength

God wants to be our leverage in living, empowering us to feel better about ourselves, more excited about our future, more grateful for those we love and more enthusiastic about our faith.

If you are a believer in Jesus Christ, God has given you His Holy Spirit to help you live life according to His perfect plan. Why not pray this simple prayer and by faith invite Him to fill you with His Spirit:

Dear Father, I need you. I acknowledge that I have sinned against you by directing my own life. I thank you that You have forgiven my sins through Christ’s death on the cross for me. I now invite Christ to again take His place on the throne of my life. Fill me with the Holy Spirit as You commanded me to be filled, and as You promised in Your Word that You would do if I asked in faith. I pray this in the name of Jesus. As an expression of my faith, I thank You for directing my life and for filling me with the Holy Spirit. Amen.