This past week we were so blessed with the opportunity to join some very close friends on vacation. A beach house was rented and plans were made. Our schedule was cleared and as the time approached, we were so excited for some time away.

A vacation at the beach is the kind of getaway when a person can truly rest and relax. Some vacations are busy and scheduled and can leave a person feeling more exhausted than they were when they left.

Life is so hectic. Unfortunately, the pace of it all has no sign of slowing down any time soon. The school year is busy and the summer is packed….don’t even get me started on the holidays!!!

Our family seems to have been going nonstop lately.

It is so important that as often as you get the chance, take a step away. Take every opportunity given to catch your breath.

We finished with school the day before we left. We enjoyed a beautiful week with our toes in the sand- reading books and watching kids play in the waves. No schedule to follow. No where to be. Just time to breathe.

We tend to make ourselves so busy that we might even feel guilty for stepping away. There is no reason to feel guilt. The Bible talks so much about rest and we just zoom past that part and think that a minute here and an hour there is good enough.

It takes time to rest. You have to be purposeful with it. This world will fill your days with instant EVERYTHING. Restoration of your soul takes time. Don’t be afraid to step away. You will come back to your life/job/family/ministry refreshed. You will come back renewed.

So there is a special rest still waiting for the people of God. For all who have entered into God’s rest have rested from their labors, just as God did after creating the world. So let us do our best to enter that rest.   – Hebrews 4:9-11

It is important enough that God made it a priority, yet we don’t ever seem to think it is important enough to invest times of rest in ourselves.

Rest is good for the soul. Make time for it. Breathe it all in. Allow your body/mind/emotions time to recover and use the quiet time to grow closer to your Savior!

Return to your rest, my soul, for the Lord has been good to you.  – Psalm 116:7