SUMMER is a time when many are able to take their foot off the gas a little.
They may take some holiday time to rest and enjoy the sunshine.
Or they may perhaps enjoy a little football with a cold pint.
Work is a little quieter and there are fewer meetings.
Be assured, this is a biblical principle – at least the concept of rest is.
In the 10 Commandments we find the instruction to ‘honour the sabbath and keep it holy’.
The sabbath was a day, once a week, when the Israelites, who received the 10 Commandments, were to rest from all their work.
Even God took a sabbath, a rest day, having completed the demanding work of creating the world.
The command to observe the rest day is less a demand on us and more of an instruction for us.
Perhaps God knows our human inclination to work ourselves until we drop, and to put our heads down, such that we never look up to draw breath, or to pause.
And so we are encouraged to take regular time,to rest.
We might spend that time with friends or family, or we may take a walk out in nature, to pray and to notice God’s presence.
Sometimes we need to hear those words from all those years ago: ‘honour the sabbath and keep it holy,’ in order to be firm with ourselves and ensure that we take the time that we need to rest.
So this summer – put your feet up!
Revd Hannah Higginson is rector of All Saints Church, Norreys, which meets on Sundays at 9.30am.
For information, visit: allsaintswokingham.org.uk
