“Be still, and know that I am God…”

Psalm 46:10

We’re always in a hurry. Pre-lockdown it was balancing the commute, work, family, friends and that healthy lifestyle we swore we’d stick to at New Years. Now, since Covid-19 it’s worrying about cooking 3 meals a day, keeping the kids entertained during the summer holidays, work, keeping in touch with friends and family as well as trying to keep active. All of this coupled with the anxieties and heaviness of a Global Pandemic and its impacts on our lives, financial or otherwise, as well as such global unrest, 2020 thus far has been a difficult one for the best of us. Whatever it is that has had your focus throughout the past couple of months, it is important to have some time of stillness, peace and joy for yourself.

Not only to collect your thoughts, to have some ‘me time’ and get ready for the rest of the day, or indeed the next day, but also to be closer to God. It is in those little moments when we are relaxed and still, that God speaks to us; reminding us of what we have to be grateful for, the real things we should be focusing on personally, the relationships we should be nourishing but also gives us a chance to recharge our batteries.

For some people, this is the time they use for their daily prayer or meditation. However, being physically still doesn’t always come naturally to everyone, so it may not be the first thing you reach for initially. But this time you carve out for yourself can look different for everyone. For some it’s journalling, or enjoying that first tea/coffee in the morning (or a cheeky drink in the evening), for others its having a bubble bath, and for those more active of us, love to workout to get rid of that pent up, anxious energy. It doesn’t even need to be an individual thing, speaking to the person most close to you be it a partner or friend could do the trick, or spending time with the family playing a board game or watching a film. If you feel brave enough and have the means to, book a staycation or a long weekend away just to reset.

For me personally it’s prayer time at night but also crafting – I love spending time cross stitching or knitting (when I find the time of course…) – and I’ve recently started a Feel Good Scrapbook, where I take positive quotes from magazines etc. and stick it in the book and it’s something I can revisit at a later date when I’m feeling a bit ‘meh’.

Whatever it looks like for you, we encourage you to make it a priority to carve out the time, daily, weekly or even bi-weekly, to take time out for yourself and to be closer to God. However often you choose to do it, you owe it to yourself to do so. There are still 5 months left of 2020 and we can’t allow ourselves to feel burnt out when, to a certain extent, we have been gifted the time to reevaluate what means the most to us, thanks to lockdown.

You’ll be surprised at the positive outcome, how much better you feel in yourself and those around you will definitely notice and feel the difference. Start slow and see if you can cultivate a habit.

“…in your presence is fullness of joy. At your right hand are pleasures forever more.”

Psalm 16:11

We understand how 2020 has left people feeling a multitude of different emotions thus far, so if you have any hopes or fears you’d like us to pray for, please don’t hesitate to contact us at hello@churchatbr.com and we will include it in our weekly prayers. We will also be meeting for prayers 8-9pm on Wednesday nights fortnightly, starting from the 2nd September – feel free to join us for this. Zoom details can be found here. For other activities and help within the Borough, visit our Covid-19 – Community Help & Support page.

Alternatively, if you’d like to get involved with us as a church, you can join in here, send us an email or check us out on our social platforms:

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I hope this gives you some food for thought…