After a 34- hour journey from South Africa, we finally landed in Orlando last night where a kind friend picked us up and whisked us home to DeLand in record time.

Journeys are always times of reflection for me and sometimes I have even thought great and profound thing as the miles go by 😊.  But these days I find one thought dominates the too-slow passing of time on an aircraft– bed. Specifically, rest in my own bed, my wonderful Tempurapedic bed that cradles my aching body like a mother cradles her new-born child 😊. For me, sleep on the aircraft does not equal rest.

I am intrigued by the fact that there is more to this tiny, 4-letter word than one thinks. It is essential to the wellbeing of body, mind and spirit but it is not passive. So, we say, "Let's TAKE a rest ", meaning we just physically stop what we are doing.
But rest in the mind and spirit requires something else. For the disciple of Jesus, rest in mind and spirit is the result of one simple but often difficult action because it requires humility. Jesus famously said, " Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest."

I admit, I have too often been overwhelmed by a racing mind and a troubled spirit but, amazingly, when I finally acknowledge my need and “Come”, I become quiet. Giving it all to Him I am refreshed and restored in a way I can hardly understand and, thank God, using a lot of words is not necessary. I have often simply lifted my hands saying, "Lord, YOU know..."

My dad used to tell this little story. In the days of horse-drawn wagons, a farmer on his way back from the fields saw an old woman walking down the dusty road carrying a big basket of corn on her head. Her face glistened with sweat as she trudged in the hot African sunshine, and she seemed to buckle under the load. Pulling the wagon to a stop, he called her, offering her a ride and gratefully she climbed up behind him. When he reached her home, he looked round and was surprised to see that she still had the basket on her head. "My dear woman, why didn't you put your burden down?" "Oh sir," she said, " you carried me. I couldn't let you carry my burden also."

This sounds like me – and maybe you?
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