Dear Friends,
Jesus
said to his disciples, “Do not worry about your life, what you will eat, or about your body, what you will wear. For
life is more than food, and the body more than clothing”.
In the passage from St.Luke Chapter 12 quoted above,
Jesus urges his disciples to trust in God’s providence and to avoid worrying about material things.
The month of August is traditionally a time to take some relaxation
and refreshment whether at home or away on holiday. Simply living in today’s
world brings many stresses to act upon us.
In employment, targets have to be met, deadlines met, ever increasing profits made.
With the “Credit Crunch” of recent months many people who have taken mortgages are concerned
in case the interest rate changes and they find themselves unable to re-pay.
We set ourselves a certain standard of living and keeping up to it is not easy but rather than accept a
lower standard we battle on.
And all the while stress takes its toll. We may become irritable and hard to live with, work with.
We need to remember that we have been created in such a way as to be able to take a certain amount, to
do a certain amount and beyond that we may find ourselves falling short. Our health may suffer, we may lose our peace
and joy in life, our spiritual life may fall apart. Many of us have gone through this in past years and we don’t
want to do so again.
What can we do?
Do you remember the Bible account of Elijah? He had worked hard for God and won great victories for
God but it all took its toll and when Jezebel, the King’s wife, threatened him he couldn’t cope. What he
needed to do was have a holiday, rest his body and mind, and eat well. He needed time to recover. He probably
needed to re-adjust his sights and not aim so high in the future. He was just a man and had his breaking point.
We all do!!
The summer months bring the possibility of a holiday. If you get the chance, go for one. It
doesn’t have to be to the other side of the world. Just a change, away from all that stresses us, giving us the
opportunity to unwind, to look again at how we are living and to examine if there are ways we can change things. Jesus
said to his tired disciples, “Come with me to a quiet place and get some rest.”
Over-work is a major player in many cases of ill-health. Sometimes we do it in order to get more
money, all for good reasons. Sometimes we do it because of expectations in the work place. Sometimes we do it
because we drift into this way and find it difficult to see another way. There must be another way. We may well
have to sit down and work out what it is. But change may be necessary.
When God gave us the 4th Commandment it wasn’t to keep us from making money, it was to keep us from
destroying ourselves. The Creator knows the capabilities of the creature. We need at least one day each week completely
free from work otherwise we are going against the makers’ instructions. When that happens the machine wears out.
Do you get your day off each week? God says you need it. You also need to be able to leave work at work and not
have to take it home, except on rare occasions. You need time to spend with your family, to have a hobby, something
to help you relax.
And do take care of your relationship with God. Many a godly life has withered because of a lack
of time spent with our Heavenly Father. I don’t mean to have this become another “thing to do” thereby
adding more pressure. Coming into the presence of our loving God ought not to be a burden but a joy. Don’t
rush your time with him. “Be still and know that I am God.”
I know it is hard out in the world but there is a way to deal with it. Get it sorted out before the
world crushes you. Talk it over with God and be open to his leading. His way is best.
Your
Friend & Priest,
Fr. Jim Norton
