Friday, March 27, 2015

Five Minute Friday: Break

Finally, I have started again.  Five Minute Friday is a time for women all around the world to gather together and write.  Five minutes.  No editing.  Just writing.  Because it’s my first time back in over a year, I was a little rusty and spent 10 minutes, but don’t tell J.  Check out Five Minute Friday to join us.  It’s quite fun.  So, here goes.

Five Minute Friday: BREAK

As we got in the fancy car and started driving, it felt wrong.  We followed a guy who knew our names and we got in a car with him.  A fancy car that was nicer than anything I had ever been in.  There was water, snacks, and even champagne.  Our drive was only 15 minutes, but there were refreshments. 

As I sat in the fancy car next to my brand new husband, I was in awe.  We had just had the most magical day.  A day to celebrate our love.  And we were heading to what we still, to this day, call “heaven” and it felt wrong.

As we passed “our people” on the road, going towards “heaven” it felt wrong.  
The people who we most relate to.  
The people to who our hearts are stirred towards.  
The people we work with everyday.  

We don’t take vacations, we take trips.  We go to the “least of these”.  We don’t go to the land of excess.  We vacation to slums.  To love and serve people who are cast down and ignored.  We cross seas.  We walk down the street in our town.  
It’s hard.  
And heart breaking.  
And exhausting.  
But we keep on.

But you know what… We needed a break.  We needed a chance to reflect upon what the Lord has done in our lives.  We needed a chance to enjoy each other.  
To celebrate an eternal covenant made between us and the Lord.  
To allow ourselves to dream big dreams.  
Have big thoughts.  
To imagine the future.

One of the hardest parts of ministry is allowing myself to take a break.  It’s hard to remember that scripture tells us to take a break, and encourages us to rest and renew ourselves. It’s hard to remember that even Jesus retreated.  That God created, then took a Sabbath.  That God calls us all to be a Mary sometimes and not just a Martha.

Although it’s difficult to do and even harder to accept the need…

We needed a break.  And I’m about ready for another.


Stop.