I am on vacation this week, spending time with my wife in the mountains.

{Contented sigh.} What a gift.

 

I like to work hard.

I like to challenge myself.

I want to guard against the temptations of constant comfort and ease.

And yet, it is good to rest.

We need it.

 

Rest isn’t simply a utilitarian necessity, something we must do so we can keep grinding. Rest is something we need to keep us fully human.

Several years ago I was reading “The Emotionally Healthy Leader” by Peter Scazzero. In one section, he talks about sabbath. The word that impacted me most was the word “delight”. Sabbath wasn’t a restriction. It was a gift. To fully receive it, we look for opportunities of delight.

These opportunities don’t have to be extravagant, although they can be. Listening to music. Reading a good book. Looking at something beautiful. A slow walk outside. Games with friends. Dinner with someone you love.

We can look for and plan for these opportunities at different time intervals. We can find some daily, others weekly, and some less frequently.

Some will be spontaneous.

Others will be part of a regular rhythm.

These moments of rest and delight will refresh and renew us. Not only physically, but deeper. Mentally, emotionally, spiritually.

It is good for our soul.

 

We need to work, and it is good for us to work hard. It is part of what makes us human.

But to remain human, we need deep rest.

Q: How can you find delight today?