Learning to Relax

Vacation should be partly defined by gaining peace and rest. One must relax and enjoy this time of freedom. This is hard to do. Have you ever noticed that? It is especially true for me. Perhaps this challenge is attributed partly to one's personality. For me, angst was a learned modus operandi, unfortunately. I have thought many people have a hard time really letting go of the pressures and expectations of life. It must be a widespread difficulty to relax in true peace and enjoyment. Sometimes, it takes a deliberate conscious effort involving self-talk to truly relax and be at ease. There are many things to oppose this interest. It could be our own tendency toward perfectionism. It could be simply selfishness. It can be challenging to accommodate children as they grow up. It could be a lack of contentment with oneself. Perhaps it is something else. In any event, I now challenge myself to let down my guard. I want to enjoy whatever the moment has to offer. There is something great to see. It may not be just for my own enjoyment. I will allow peace and relaxation, knowing that those moments of leisure are okay and meant for boosting one's soul. Vacation means the opportunity to celebrate freedom and family, and I will value that with ease. I need to enjoy such time and not fret that it is fleeting. I am trying to learn to relax, truly relax.

The Thrill of Serving

This summer, our church has begun a community outreach to some needy families. After purchasing a truckload of reclaimed food, we spent a Saturday morning helping sort through pallets of various food products. Everything was organized for the grocery store format we are using to allow families to come in and pick up what they need. We have been looking forward to this meaningful opportunity. One retired couple, specifically, has spent more than a year already getting the program started at a local school. The food backpack outreach puts food in the home of some of the neediest children each week during the school year. The faithfulness of this couple and some other folks put the church in a position to be able to expand the service opportunity. Our new pastor had the previous experience of operating a food ministry in the Orlando area. He was able to skillfully implement the larger vision. Additionally, the vision was to involve everyone in the church willing to serve. I know I was looking forward to it. Our whole family went to the gym adjacent to the church to sort the food. It was warm in there. Some food had to be thrown away. It took a while to organize a system to make the process efficient. It was hard work. And it was not exactly clean. Who knows where some of the food had come from or been stored previously? Nevertheless, I had a great time. It was so much fun for me to be able to give my energy to this project. My daughter remarked that she enjoyed the work, too. I remembered again how much fun it can be to serve. On this past Sunday, I filled in to watch the toddlers in the children's ministry area. It is hard to teach them, because they either do not understand or do not care what I am saying. We communicate some bits about the lesson and trust some of that goes into their minds. We just play with them and keep them safe and love them. This is not as thrilling to me, though. It is harder, because the results are not so visible. When I finish serving in the toddler room, however, I realize it was good. The opportunity to serve and work with other people to accomplish a task or fill a need really is often a fun time. It is amazing. When I think of all the leisure things I like to do, there is usually minimal benefit. There may be some physical exercise or some relationship-building with someone. Generally, frivolous activity has as the primary benefit my entertainment. I have seen again that serving other people with the great hope we all will grow spiritually and secure or advance in faith in Christ is really worthwhile. Using my energy and abilities in a capacity that helps other people is a great thrill, and I thank God for that.