Written by Nilaurys Garcia, volunteer with Iron Rose Sister Ministries in Canada
Has it happened to you that after a vacation you need to rest? In other words, you need another vacation to rest from the holidays, it may be that you want to spend all day lying in bed reading a book, binge watching your favorite series, sunbathing on the beach, walking in the park or whatever activity that you like the most.
I can imagine several people laughing and commenting that the days off are to do the things you can't do while you work or are in your daily routine, and why do I know this? Because my mind also works like that. But a day after a small mental breakdown that led me to faint on the subway on the way to work, both my family and my boss decided to have an intervention, and very kindly forced me to take a few days off. I wish this story ended here, and I would love to say that after the break I learned to relax, connect with God and live in a peaceful state, but no. Six months later it happened again. After medical studies and results that only indicated one thing, stress. This intervention was no longer so kind, but this time I did learn.
There was an internal struggle within me in living these two experiences, after being oversaturated with good things like multiple Bible studies, ladies and youth meetings, children's classes, social activities and more, I completely drained myself. There was nothing left to give. Some will think, “but that's the life of the servant and it's part of the task to do all that, plus how are you going to get tired if all those activities nourish and transform you, help you connect more with God and make you grow?” All that is true, but if we exceed our limits, there are consequences.
What led me to understand that rest or stepping aside was necessary was to see the example of Jesus, in Luke 6:12, when after several miracles, days of teaching, and having to deal with the Scribes and Pharisees He retreated all night to pray “and He spent the night praying to God.” It is not the first and only time we see Him doing this, He also did it after He had walked on water, had fed a crowd and before being betrayed. In Luke 5:16 the Bibles states that "Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.”
Since I understood that it was necessary to dedicate moments, days, or seasons in this action of recharging, I understood that I had much more to give, but it was only possible if I made these conscious pauses to return to the Source that would allow me to breathe deeply and talk to the Source, beyond the daily interaction. I have learned from Jesus to retreat and breathe for a few moments. I learned to identify the symptoms that indicate that I need to pause and regain strength, and I spend conscious time doing so.
Depending on your tastes and personality, retreating can look like sitting in the park while you study your devotional, taking a couple of hours to journal, taking the long way to work while praying out loud if you're driving, or saying no to a church study or activity, but it should be a conscious decision. You can also invite a friend if you wish. In my case it works best when I'm alone and I pray out loud, so if you ever see me on the street speaking to myself, you already know what I'm doing. You don't need to go to the middle of the forest for a week to be alone with God and your thoughts, but if that's your way, great! I just recommend that you don't wait to collapse to retreat, breathe, and recharge. Remember Jesus spent time resting and recharging directly from the Source.
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