Are you on vacation? If not, picture yourself there. If it helps, picture some vacation advertisements – a family walking on the beach hand in hand. A hammock and cold drink. A mountain, or a city, or whatever means rest to you!
It feels good, doesn’t it? It’s proven: in a study published in Journal of Occupational Medicine. Three days after vacation participants reported fewer physical complaints, a more positive mood, and better sleep.
But vacation can’t solve everything. The study found the big picture of life unchanged from vacation. There was no change to general life-satisfaction. Five weeks after the end of vacation only the extent of physical complaints was still significantly smaller as compared to the pre-vacation level. Everything else was back to normal. http://occmed.oxfordjournals.org/content/50/3/167.full.pdf
So how do we really rest, if hopping on a plane, renting a cottage or vegetating at home just aren’t enough?
It means clearing our heads and hearts, but not by zoning out, bur rather by focusing them on something else….God!
We asked some people: what helps you clear your head on vacation?
Question: What helps you clear your head on vacation? How long does it take to distance yourself from work?
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Spiritual real estate agents will tell you to build your life on their teaching, but you need to know if it's sandy or solid.
I'd encourage you to do a spiritual home inspection.
That's the point of the entire Sermon on the Mount: Don’t just look at the outer appearances…religious membership or observances. Your following of certain rules or teachings is like the house on top of a foundation.
Instead, look at the foundation of the whole thing, get under the house and knock some floor joists, check the concrete for cracks.
In life, check your heart and motivations. If your life is in danger of crumbling because someone dies, you get sick, a relationship ends, a stock price falls, a job gets lost, or whatever, then you’ve built on sand.
Our problem is often when we start with the house – investing so much in a beautiful house that can fall over at any point.
The proper way to build is to start with a plumb, level foundation, which equals a plumb and level house, made of individual materials that are plumb and level. It all starts with the foundation.
Thankfully, Jesus says building life on rock is as simple as hearing his words and living them out, intentionally choosing to follow his way of life, making him your foundation.
Then we can build our view of the body, money, career, sexuality, health, relationships, etc. on the basis of that foundation, rather than trying to fit together things that don't belong.
This foundation in life will eventually transform all aspects built on top. But it starts with heart, the foundation.
Challenge: If never intentionally decided to follow Jesus, to build your life on his foundation, invite you to pray for that today. If you have said those words, but know you haven’t followed through with action, pray this as well.
Gracious Father, I realize that you already know me and that you love me. You love me so much that your Son Jesus died for me. I want to make a fresh start with you, to put you at the very centre of my life and to follow you from now on.
Please forgive me for all those things in my past that have come between us. And help me to turn away from whatever would keep me from following you faithfully and consistently in the future. Please help me to grow to know and follow you more and more each day. Help me to grow into the person that you desire me to be. Amen.
Then, please tell me! You can get in touch through our web site or mobile app. If you aren't able to do that, do tell another person in your life who you know is trying to follow Jesus.
