real rest

I have been pondering over Pastor Julia’s sermon this past Sunday. It resonated with me, the importance of rest in the making of a whole and fruitful person. Rest as both condition and necessity for growth.  

On a personal level, I have the luxury of rest. But the resonance I’m feeling is not about me, but for the 18 people moving out of homelessness at David’s House. The participants are going from no permanent shelter to two years of protected and safe space to renew and grow.
 
I may be biased because I have been a part of the development of this unique transitional housing project, but something remarkable is happening to the participants. My social scientist brain is already fast at work, trying hard to find a theoretical explanation, to quantify, to evaluate, to replicate what is happening; replicate this steady and rapid healing I see among so many of the participants.

Could it be that real rest, not the kind you get in a 30-day shelter full of jail-like conditions and a ticking clock, is what the human heart and mind requires? Is the generosity of time to rest in a caring and equitable environment what is needed to move forward again? Could it be that simple?

I’ll let you know!