Years ago, my therapist invited me to spend a week meditating on one text. “A good dose of Matthew 11:28-30 is what you need,” she insisted.
She instructed me to read it out loud from several different translations, and she dared me not to take notes, exegete the text, or develop a sermon outline. “Just sit with it,” she said, "and let it sit with you."
For my first session, I chose to read from "The Message," which is about as “different” as they come. Everything was fine until I read, “I’ll show you how to take a real REST” as “I’ll show you how to take a real RISK.”
Uh-oh.
I suspect I'm not the only one who feels like it's risky to take a rest. It's easy for us to fall in the trap of believing that we have to be super-human in order to be good pastors.
I get it. The boundaries between "work" and "personal" life aren't always clear for pastors. It's relationally, spiritually, emotionally, mentally, and physically demanding work...
...and even on vacation, you're just a text or phone call away.
Maybe it's time for YOU to take a real RISK REST.
Here's Matthew 11:28-30 from The Message version to get you started. Read it out loud. Sit with it, and let it sit with you: