Print and carry with you, while you're away.

Day 1
Gracious God, it’s hard to shift from a life of busy work to a period of quiet relaxation. Help me let go of my need to produce and of my worry over what will happen at work while I am away. As I give myself to the relaxation of mind and body, let the activities of my work life silently recede into the background. Let me open my soul to you as if it were an empty canvas waiting for the creative touch of the artist’s hand. I ask this for the sake of your love. Amen.

Day 2
Gracious God, may I see the wonders of creation this day. May the simple gifts that are so often buried under the activities of my life be revealed in glory. May my heart that is so often distracted be clear and still. May my soul, hungry for peace, be fed by your grace. When I close my eyes in sleep this night, may I be filled with gratitude for the blessing of this leisurely day. I ask this for the sake of your love. Amen.

Day 3
Gracious God, it is a time to see and do new things now. The work that claims my heart is done now, and my soul is ready for a time of Sabbath rest. Help me be attentive and curious, open and aware, so that the images, experiences and encounters of this time may be bouquets of refreshment when work again is my soul’s delight. I ask this for the sake of your love. Amen.

Day 4
Gracious God, give me a heart of playfulness while I am away from the regular responsibilities of my life. Give me a spirit of adventure – a spirit that is ready to try new things, taste new food, experience new people. Give me courage to do the unexpected and untried. Give me a desire to delight in what is new and different, knowing that I will return fuller for having been bold enough to stretch myself out. I ask this for the sake of your love. Amen.

Day 5
Gracious God, help me appreciate another rhythm of life that comes when work ends for a time. In my movement from activity to quiet, from thinking to being, from producing to relaxation, give me the softness of your Spirit that will slow my heart and change its beat. I ask this for the sake of your love. Amen.

Day 6
Gracious God, in the midst of the busy-ness of my life, I often forget that you are near me, waiting patiently for my attention. I come to you when I am troubled, but I am so easily consumed with the round of activity that I don’t sit in stillness and feel your presence in the beat of my heart. Help me now, while I am away from work, to enter the space of quiet awe within my own soul, and find you there. Give me the silence and solitude I need to hear my heart beat again. Let me be astonished by the movement of your breath in me and startled by the closeness of your Spirit, so that when I return to the demands of my life, I will know again the importance of staying in your presence. I ask this for the sake of your love. Amen.

Day 7
Gracious God, my time away is nearly over. Nourish in me excitement for going back to my daily life with renewed anticipation, ready to dig into the work and relationships that make my life meaningful and productive. Let me feel the creative impulse moving through me again. Help me take with me the tenderness that has nourished and refreshed me. May these times of quiet and rest, adventure and play give me new ways to think about my work and the demands of my life. May I always know that life is a balance between giving and receiving, working and resting, doing and being. May I do each with a heart filled with joy and gratitude. I ask this for the sake of your love. Amen.