Saturday, December 30, 2006

Full Throttle
Clean thoughts from a caffeine junkie

Standing in line at Wal-Mart, I noted that at every register there are a wide selection of energy drinks. Full Throttle is one of just a slew of energy drinks on the market - Full Throttle from Coca-Cola Company, Adrenaline Rush, Amp Energy drink, Double Shot from Starbucks, No Fear from SoBe and of course, RedBull which is the one first introduced in the US. European and Asia countries have been consuming these energy drinks longer than we have. ("who's this 'we' Tonto? Americans) On occasion I have had an energy drink but I considered RedBull, well, high test and not sure how I would react.
It made me question, why do we need energy? a pick me up? coffee in the morning? In three words, "we never stop" I totally agree with the "I would rather burn out than fade away" but if God rested on the 7th day who are we to think that we don't need rest?
Rest - It is a biblical principle that I think is being overlooked these days. We need down time and we need it regularly. There are so many principles to put into practice. Often we translate that into being active. That reminds me of a bumper sticker, "Look busy, Jesus is coming back." You have to stay busy even if you are not accomplishing anything. At least you look the part. It is hard in our society to just be, after all, we are human beings but we act like human doings. Physical rest, mental and spiritual rest are all necessary. It would do us good to learn from orthodox Jews about the sabbath rest. I do realize that they take it to the extreme but if we find a way to implement it into our lives I believe we will burn brightly for years to come, eventually coming to the burn out, not fading away or rusting out.

As I sit here, drinking my morning jump juice, I am realizing that this is what I am missing in my staying in one place longer than usual. When we move to a new place, all we have is each other. There is time to relax after the unpacking is done. We go exploring and each of us has time to spend alone and with each other. It is up to us to get to know other folks and we have in every place we have lived. The rest of my time here in G'ville will be more productive, if I make rest a regular part of my week. For today, there are routes to be routed, lists to be made, speeches to be polished and debates to be had in preparation for the Masters conference that we leave for in just 9 short days.
I hope each of you find some time to rest this weekend.
Pax,
Catherine

1 comment:

Grace Joan said...

ah yes,
I find myself feeling like I must "do, do, do" all the time. I could brush that off with a "it's just part of my personality", but then again, so is sin and I can't excuse that. Perhaps I do need to make myself rest more. I have a lot to learn from you in this area; learning how to truly be a human BEING and not a human DOING.
Love you!
Love,
Grace