For many of us the start of the school holidays means that our annual holiday will soon be upon us. It may provide an opportunity for sight-seeing and culture, or an opportunity to get off the ever faster conveyor belt, catch up on sleep and read a few books that have been sitting on our bedside table for months. A holiday can also be used as a sort of retreat, providing an opportunity for spiritual refreshment which can take different forms – time sitting reading the Bible, walking along a beach, climbing mountains, praying or reading a ‘spiritual’ book. We do not have to go away for this to happen but we do need to prepare ourselves to ensure that we are able to use the time constructively. Perhaps we could put aside a day for this, as a priority.

First of all we must seek out a suitable environment—we are all different and some of us will need structure to our day while others would find that restrictive. If you are one of the former it may be helpful to use a book such as Woven into Prayer by Angela Ashwin which provides a short order of daily prayer, thread for the day, quiet space and night-time blessing for the different Church seasons. It includes short Bible passages which could be a staring point for a more structured exploration with the aid of a commentary. On the other hand it may be that a structure would be completely alien and what is needed is the opportunity to sit and be, to be still and know that God is God and to listen to His still small voice. That may be possible to do in the garden or it may mean travelling, either locally or a bit further away. Whichever you choose remember that this is important and should not be rushed. Maybe nothing will get done at home for a whole day but the time is very important for your spiritual health.

This does not all need to be done alone—perhaps a group of you could agree to read a book about spiritual issues and then meet up to discuss it. That could be in someone’s garden or over a bring and share lunch. Perhaps a whole day could be set aside with a time for worship, prayer, quiet time separately, followed by coming together to discuss the book and enjoy eating a meal together. However if you do decide to spend the day with some friends make sure that they are people with whom you feel relaxed and can be honest. The whole process is about helping us to relax into the everlasting arms as we are refreshed spiritually as well as physically and mentally.

Jesus told us: “Come to me, all that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28-30). I pray that we may all take that to heart and put it into practice.

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