I love the Fall … the pumpkin spice coffee, the smell of banana bread, the applesauce cooking on the stove. I love decorating our house for Fall. I love planning our Thanksgiving meal complete with everyone’s favorite pies regardless of how many that might be.

I think I love Fall because it reminds me that everything changes. The leaves change, the season changes, the weather changes, and our lives change. It is in the Fall that everything slows down. The days get shorter and the nights get longer.

I love Fall because it reminds me that as fast as I have run all Spring and Summer, I have to slow down and rest.

God created and created and eventually rested. Jesus after dealing with people all day would take off and have some alone time. Time for renewal and time to refueling.

So often we fill out days off with lists of things to do, complete with kids to run here and there. I am right there with you — I run my son from Wilmington to Cincinnati all the time. I feel the pain. So many times we are busy, exhausted from our everyday lives we simply cannot imagine connecting to anything other than TV.

However, we were created for a different rhythm of life. We were created to stop and have what the Old Testament calls Sabbath.

Sabbath is a time of rest, and technically it is time away from work.

But it is really a time to recharge. What are you doing that recharges you?

Are you taking time each week for rest, sleeping in, time to center and a space for stress to be reflected away from you? When we take time to sit with God, maybe through quiet time, or walking in our neighborhood we will find a sense of grounding and centering.

I have found that I have Sabbath moments each day. I create moments each day where I connect with God. Sometimes it is in a conversation, it is during my quiet time in the morning, it is in a photo I take, or it is through a 10-minute day dream I allow myself to take in the middle of the day.

Many of us will have a four-day holiday in a few days. What will you do with your extra time away?

Perhaps you can grab a cup of coffee, a pad of paper and begin to journal, or simply sit with God. But maybe you are not the quiet type of person, your refuel will look very different. It might be that you need to have Sabbath with people, helping others. Your Sabbath rules are simple, they have to refuel you.

I pray you will take time this week to refresh and refuel. Remember you matter to God and you matter to me!

Blessings — Pastor Marie.

Marie Smith is Pastor of Wilmington United Methodist Church.