As we listen to Lee’s advice to stay hydrated in these hot and humid days, we invite you also to listen to the still small voice of compassion in you that says, “easy does it.”
In crisis some of us are prone to over-function and this serves us well in healthcare, until we are running on fumes and have long gotten used to the warning lights on our dashboard telling us to take some time for respite. This caring in the midst of a sustained crisis is a marathon, or a series of marathons. And pacing and flexibility, caring for our bodies, our minds, our hearts, our spirits, is key to endurance and recovering well as individuals and as a community.
So we echo Lee’s words about hydration, and also encourage that you remember that rest is an integral part of work, not just the collapsing at the end of the day, but the breaks, the breaths, the moment to calm yourself after something that shakes you.
The Rev. Nadia Bolz-Weber this past Sunday offered a down to earth prayer for our times and this morning we wanted to share it with you paired with the photo she uses in her blog entry.
Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.
Matthew 11:28-30
Dear God,
Everyone’s exhausted right now: parents, activists, cashiers, people who are just now actually learning about systemic racism, delivery drivers, the unemployed, the chronically sick, ER nurses, those who fear the police, the elderly, performers with no hope of an audience any time soon, clergy, social workers, those who can’t make their rent, and everyone who has to spray something down with disinfectant for the 1,000th time.
Teach us to rest, Lord. Help us dial back our obsession with productivity. Raise up more helpers for those who are over-extended Lord – stir up the desire to serve in those who only take. Remove barriers to napping. Quiet babies for an hour so those new mamas can sleep. Make us aware of any new binge-able NETFLIX shows that might help. Quiet those voices that tell us we should be doing more right now, especially the ones that come from inside of us. Teach us not to confuse respite with laziness. Increase our compassion for one another. And while you’re at it, increase our compassion for ourselves.
Lord, in your mercy,
hear our prayer.
AMEN.