Dear COA Family,
As we come to the end of the first term of school, I am struck by
how many of our school leaders and teachers are feeling
absolutely spent. Many of them even find their bodies at breaking
point. Students are also not exempted as they have felt the stress
of schoolwork and assessments throughout the term.
Working adults elsewhere are not spared. Many are also feeling
exhausted and burnt out. They cannot wait to take a holiday to
find some much-needed rest. The prospect of an extended conflict
in the Middle East has not helped their mental well-being either.
How can we cope with the ever-increasing demands of our work
and school culture? There are many recommendations of strategies
for that but the most important by far, I find, is to rediscover and
return to your inner sanctuary of rest, communion and trust in God.
This is the sacred space of renewal in God’s protection and grace
where the world cannot intrude into or invade. It is where we find
again our identity, purpose for ministry and source of strength.
And this refuge is not found in a place, but in a Person — Jesus Christ.
Jesus invites the weary: “Come to me, all who labour and are heavy
laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28).
The Anglican priest and writer Jeremy Taylor once wrote: “He that hath
God for his portion hath all things in Him.”
Similarly, the Christian thinker C. S. Lewis observed in Mere Christianity:
“God cannot give us a happiness and peace apart from Himself,
because it is not there.”
When our hearts learn to rest in Christ, we discover that true security
does not depend on circumstances but on His presence.
As we turn to Christ daily — in prayer, Scripture and quiet trust — we
discover that even in the midst of life’s demands, our hearts can dwell
in a deeper place of rest.
May this season of Lent be a blessed time to do just that – rediscover
our inner sanctuary in Christ.
God bless,
Revd Ian