Time for rest and fellowship
A life of ministry often comes loaded with a heavy schedule of demands.
Sarah Deal and her husband, along with their two children, are missionaries in the Asia-Pacific region. Sarah confesses that as a missionary and homemaker and mom, she stays very busy. Sometimes, in fact, a little too busy.
“As cross-cultural missionaries, as well as humans who naturally feed on the outward results of good, hard work, we tend to overlook the incredible value of rest,” writes Sarah. “In the midst of daily demands, we are tempted to forget the importance of simply stopping and resting in God’s Presence.”
Sarah found herself there recently. It’s a place of discouragement, apathy and potential ministry burn-out that results from not taking time to spend quality time with Christ.
“I’m ashamed to say that months had gone by without my taking a true rest from life to just sit at my Savior’s feet. My quiet time with Him was quick and shallow. My heart was afraid to cease working and be still,” Sarah shares.
Sarah is grateful for God’s relentless pursuit of her heart and attention. He graciously provided a few days away from ministry at a ladies’ retreat to rest and focus on Him.
“It was a unique opportunity to spend time soaking up the Word of God with ladies of like faith and vision, taking in the rest that my body, mind and soul were longing for,” Sarah explains.
Sarah returned home refreshed, rested, encouraged and ready to resume the ministry and busy schedule that God has for her to do.
But there’s a different focus now.
“I am basking in my Savior’s love and His rest—the rest that had been waiting for me all along,” she shares.