How Will You Rest and Facilitate Rest for Others?
Ahhh, it’s that time of year - Christmas music permeates the air and anticipation of Christmas morning is steadily mounting. You’re planning Christmas services or maybe an end-of-year giving push. Don’t forget the holiday parties, travel, Christmas concerts and pageants, gift wrapping, and cookie baking. Are you exhausted yet?
In this busy Advent season, how can you care well for yourself, your family, and your ministry? How can we learn to rest in God when there are so many external pressures?
It doesn’t happen all at once. It’s a process, and it takes proactive measures. If we took even small steps over the next couple of weeks, how different might our Advent season look?
Believe… in the promise of rest. It’s become a Christmas thing—signs urging us to BELIEVE. But believe in what? Jesus, Santa Claus, the magic of Christmas? For those of us who believe and trust in Jesus, let’s practice believing in Jesus’s promise of rest.
Jesus says “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28-30).
If we believe His yoke is easy but we are feeling a heavy burden, we may need to reevaluate our commitments. He provides all that we need for what He’s called us to, but the question remains: “Have we overcommitted?” How might God be calling us to scale back to just the part of His mission He has for us?
Plan for rest. God instituted the Sabbath because He knew we needed the space and the mandate to rest. Tasks and interruptions frequently press in and fill up your time. By scheduling times of rest and treating them like you would other commitments (i.e., not letting other things take up that space or giving that time away), you’re more likely—but not guaranteed—to have time dedicated to rest.
For those leading churches, there’s a delicate balance to maintain. Advent and Christmas are special times in the Christian calendar that call for additional or special celebration. Some members of your community are compelled to be at every event. What’s the balance between appropriately celebrating and not over-taxing your members? How can the church help alleviate the pressures we all feel?
We at Auxilio are collecting ideas that you can implement to help you rest and also protect your congregants. Send us yours to share in future updates to this blog post!
Actively rest. When we do find ourselves with those commitment-free moments, we’re likely to not use them strategically for rest. We scroll the news, online shopping, or TV channels—often never landing but consuming the sheer number of choices. That in itself is exhausting! If you’re planning times of rest, also plan how you’ll rest to ensure you use the time well. Hold your rest time sacred. Put away work. Put away electronics. Turn your phone to silent. Spend time recalling God’s faithfulness. Nap, read, meditate, take a walk, be present with a friend or family member. Fill the time with positive, restful activities so as to not squander it.
Auxilio is here to help. Let Auxilio take the burden of managing the mechanics of year-end giving, reporting, and receipting off your plate. Since the December 31 deadline for 2023 gifts falls on a Sunday this year, Auxilio has crafted a communication plan for our clients to share with donors to alleviate any last-minute giving issues. Team members will be accessible the last week of December to answer questions. In addition, we will be available over the december 30-31 weekend to address any last-minute giving issues. We can’t rest for you, but our aim is to help facilitate all the required year-end business operations so that you can rest and have peace of mind.
Auxilio regularly prays for our clients. In this season, we pray that you both find and facilitate rest.
Merry Christmas!