My favorite thing about the weekend is I get to rest, reflect, and refresh. When Monday comes I am ready to start again. This weekend during my reflections, I was reminded of conversations with several people who want to see changes in their life but they don’t know how to start.
I believe that we can apply my 3R’s for a great weekend to making changes that we desire in our lives.
Rest
The process for change requires us to rest. We need to rest from worry, stress, self recrimination, unforgiveness, and the pressures we place on ourselves to be perfect. Resting helps us quiet our minds and gain new perspective.
What is causing us stress? What makes us doubtful of our worthiness to have something better, to dream for a higher call? What grudges are we clinging to that stifles our personal growth? Who are we comparing ourselves to that makes us feel we don’t measure up?
Choosing to rest and let go of everything can help us discover God’s plan for our lives. God intended us to rest. He even gave an commandment for it (Exodus 23:12). Jesus says we can come to Him and He will give us rest (Matthew 11:28 – 30). Meditating on these words places us in the position to get a fresh look at ourselves and opens the door for reflection.
Reflect
Reflection is a proven strategy to winning battles, learning new skills, and creating something new. There are numerous studies on reflective practices. Experts tell us to use reflection in business, education, and our personal lives when success is our goal. Reflection is also essential for our personal and spiritual growth. Throop (Christianity Today) encourages a reflective approach to learning what the bible says about our lives, our faith, and our purpose.
When we reflect about what we have accomplished, where we’ve been, and our hopes for the future, we can begin setting goals for what comes next. This leads us to a greater sense of purpose and helps us face what lies ahead refreshed and ready to make the changes we want to see.
Refresh
Refreshed doesn’t always mean completely rested, it means we have a new perspective on our lives, our plans, and our dreams. Dictionary.com defines refresh as providing vigor and new energy, stimulating, making fresh again, or refreshing appearance. I really love that they have added this computer definition:
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to access (the most recent version of a webpage) from the Internet instead of from the cache:
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to display (an image) repeatedly, as on a CRT, in order to prevent fading.
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to read and write (the contents of dynamic storage) at intervals in order to avoid loss of data.
I believe the computer definition applies to this message. Do you know the world longs to have access to the latest version of you? You refreshed can bless the world around you. You refreshed can display the love of Christ in your own unique way. You refreshed know when you need to return to the states of rest and reflection so that you don’t lose momentum. You refreshed can see yourself in a new light and appreciate the process of change.
Remember the 3R’s for a great weekend can be applied to your personal relationships, your work life, and your dreams. Everyone has the power to change. We are never without hope for something better when we intentionally look at where we are and set our minds to making things different.
As this weekend comes to an end, I pray that you have rest, that your reflections lead you to the life Christ paid the price for you to have, and that you face the future refreshed with vigor and new energy.
2 Corinthians 5:17
Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he/she is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.
