“Be still and know that I am God” Psalms 46:10
As the holidays wind down (remember the 12 Days of Christmas end on Jan. 5th) and we return to our day-to-day life, the busy pace of work, school, chores, lessons, etc. ramps back up.
Or maybe your Advent, Christmas and New Year’s was as busy and chaotic as the rest of the year. Sometimes I wonder, how much busier and hectic can life get? And more importantly, is this the way we’re called to live, as Christians?
Recently I was watching one of my favourite cooking shows, where a world-famous chef travels around the world, meeting people and learning about different foods and cooking techniques.
In this show the chef was in Istanbul, Turkey (a great city for food!) visiting bakeries that have been using techniques passed down from generation-to-generation for over 1000 years. Bread is made fresh for every meal; breakfast, lunch and dinner. So, bakeries are busy places.
But the conversation between the chef and the bakers was about the pace of life. Here’s what they said is important:
To sit down and eat together to break the cycle of work: to rest.
Prepare food by hand: it helps people relax.
Recover & maintain the traditional way of cooking: because it takes time.
I agree, and I think it’s unfortunate that so many of the popular cooking shows emphasize the pressure and speed of preparation, and have lost the joy associated with preparing food for and partaking together with family & friends.
This is a biblical theme isn’t it? Breaking bread together is a big deal. As we pause, and take the time to eat together, we have time for deeper relationships. We draw closer to each other. As we pause and take time to be with God, we are refreshed and recharged by His Presence. We draw closer to the Lord.
I’m not a big supporter of New Year’s Resolutions. However, I think setting goals is a good idea.
Let’s not continue to celebrate or be proud of the busyness in our lives. Let’s rather, carve out the time to slow down at regular intervals, like meal-times, like family devotions, like daily prayer, and other times, even during the holidays (read: holy-days) to draw closer to each other and to the Lord Jesus.
You will be blessed and so will your Heavenly Father.