Have you ever written yourself a prescription? A medical prescription is reserved only for those who are authorized, of course. But a treatment plan for soul care might be just what our Great Physician has ordered, especially as Autumn lurks right around the corner.
On August 1, we shared a video on the topic of rest. It’s not the only time we’ve addressed it this year. In fact, we invite you to watch these encouraging interviews with Alan Fadling (here) and his wife, Gem (here). We find the topic so important (and so easily overlooked) that we think it bears repetition.
Summertime is an ideal season for building in some rest. Our kids or grandkids are out of school, which makes family vacations somewhat easy to plan. As work schedules slow down we might even carve out some time for solo getaways or retreats with friends. When Autumn approaches, however, purposeful pauses in our schedules might become a little more elusive. Our calendars become as colorful as the leaves on the trees as we sign up for new classes, our children participate in fall sports and activities, school assignments increase, and we even start thinking about the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays. Tired yet? I am.
That’s why I resonated so powerfully with a few messages I recently came across from author, counselor, and teacher, John Eldredge. Following are just a few takeaways I gleaned.
Rx #1: Allow yourself a day of transition.
When it comes to vacation, (or any enjoyable event, moment, or season, for that matter) I love to extend it as far as I possibly can. If our beach reservation, for example, ends on a Saturday and we have no commitments until Monday, then I’m all about stretching the vacation into the late hours of Sunday! Eldredge has a word for that, though. He calls it “violent to your soul.” Our hearts, minds, and even our bodies need a transition period. If we quickly pivot from rest to work we risk unraveling the benefits we gleaned from our pause.
That makes me reconsider how I structure my downtime. Even in the Autumn (perhaps more so, as demands on our time increase), I want to incorporate transitions. If my work schedule is Monday through Friday, I want to build some space in my schedule as I transition from the weekend to work.
Rx #2: Take one lesson you learned over your summer into your fall.
Summertime affords us opportunities for some introspection. The hotter temperatures beckon us to sit awhile, maybe sipping some lemonade or iced tea and enjoying all the new life blooming around us. All that life breathes air into our lungs and opens our eyes to new observations. As we move into Autumn, however, we hoist a heavy load on our backs when we try to employ every item we just learned. Eldredge suggests we take the pressure off. Instead, ask Jesus, “What do you want us* to focus on this fall, Lord?” (*Jesus wants to join you in this process.) Then, let Him guide you.
Rx #3: Let Jesus show you your schedule.
This was a big one for me. To be completely honest, I have spent far too many years of my Christian life trying to manage a schedule for God rather than living out one defined by God. He really wants to be that involved. Why? Because our omniscient, omnipresent Savior knows all we need well before we see it. Instead of striving and struggling over our schedules, why not ask Him to show us? Ask, “Jesus, what is the rhythm and pace you have for me this fall? What do you want me (and my family) “in,” and what do you want me (us) “out of”?
“Honestly, I’m startled at how much I deem to be utterly necessary,” Eldredge writes, “But when I ask Christ about it he rescues me from so much pressure.”
During our August 1 video, we talked about thoughtfully building rest into our schedules. An Rx for Autumn might be a great way to do that. We pray these encouragements help you. As always, our desire for you is that your Autumn is sublime, and that you live each day free above the fray. Be blessed!
— Linda R. Maynard © August 2024
Based on the following interviews with, and articles from, John Eldredge: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aMEhCcZjEZE; https://wildatheart.org/blogs/john/keep-recovery-and-resilience-front-you
