June Devotional – Chilled Out!
1 June 2006
Scripture:
You chart the path ahead of me, and tell me where to stop and rest.
Psalm 139:3 LB
Well, I’ve just come back from Italy. ‘Lucky you,’ I hear you saying.
One of the things I discovered was that it was far more relaxing to get right away to another country than to stay in the UK. The major advantage for me was that in the tiny Italian village I stayed, no-one spoke English. Although this was slightly frustrating at times and I made many wrong choices in restaurants, it proved wonderfully liberating because no-one could ask me what I did for a living. I find that just talking about my job makes me re-live it and then I’m very quickly in work mode rather than being on holiday. Another relief was that there were no Internet Cafés to check my emails, just a few shops and bars and a weekly market offering the basic necessities.
Italy is a very beautiful country, the pace of life is so much slower and Italians know how to take a rest or siesta. They eat a healthy Mediterranean diet and take their time in all they do (except driving!). No wonder they have the lowest incidence of heart problems in the world.
There is much to learn from the Italian way of life.
Prayer:
Lord, help me to learn how to work from a place of rest, rather than having to rest through overwork.
