I felt tired staring at a prayer I had written for the Sunday service and found myself wondering when attending church had stopped feeling like worship. It was as if a darkness was dimming my spirit.

There was a time when I felt as though the call to help was unending. Where? What time? What do I bring? rather than I want to help. What can I do?

I saw how the most faithful sometimes need time to rest and heal.

I once thought rest was a luxury; I now know that rest is essential to health, faith and ministry.

Time to Unplug

In moments of emptiness, God Himself modelled rest. Jesus would leave the crowds of faithful to pray in quiet places. This was not a distraction from His ministry. It was its heart.

The Sabbath is God’s gift of rest. It helps us stop, breathe and be made new. Stepping back renews us. Rest is not weakness; rest is trust. Rest is the source of service.

When we are rested, we are ready to love and serve with fresh hearts.

I knew I needed to find time to unplug and focus on something that gave me joy and provided me with rest.

The Sabbath is God’s gift of rest. It helps us stop, breathe and be made new. LOUIS KYRON

For a Friend

For myself, I found renewal through creativity. Making candles and soap, writing and stencilling began as projects to create nice, handmade gifts. But before long, crafting opened my heart in unexpected ways. Whether I was melting wax or writing a letter to a friend, I slowed down and became more aware of God’s presence.

I discovered that there is peace in the rhythm of creating. As I crafted, I realized these were prayers without words, deep conversations with God.

I was crafting a candle listening to Kristian Stanfill’s God, You’re So Good. As I added red, blue and lavender dye to the melting wax that I was continuously stirring, I found myself thinking about a friend, who has faced more of life’s curveballs than anyone should have to. Memories of experiences together and stories shared filled my mind.

I lost track of how long the wax had been melting and how much of each colour I added. Uh oh echoed inside my head.

Rather than throw out the batch and start over, I kept going.

As I poured the wax into the mould, I suddenly started to pray for my friend. CeCe Winans’ Holy Forever was playing when I finished. When it had cooled and I removed it from the mould, I immediately knew this candle, with its “imperfect” colouring, filled with prayer, memories and sacred music, was for this friend.

Resting in God’s Love

Handmade gifts carry more than beauty; they carry time, intention and love. I soon understood that they were not only handmade gifts but they were also heartmade gifts.

These gifts are filled with prayers that say, “I care about you. You matter. You are loved.”

Where I once stared at a prayer in exhaustion, I now find myself resting in God’s love, renewed to serve with joy.

Many Salvation Army churches and centres have crafting events and groups. You may find that attending one brings the rest your soul has been longing for.

Louis Kyron is a CPA with an MBA from the Royal Military College of Canada in Kingston, Ont. He is an active member and volunteer at The Salvation Army’s Whitby Community Church in Ontario, and has two adult children.