Taking a Little Summer Break From All Work All The Time

 It's summer. Let's take a break from all work all the time. 

No, we're not talking vacation. Instead, we're going to assume we've got some summer "respite time" during our work day. That's when our clients and customers are off on their own vacations, giving us some extra moments to breathe. I get some of this. It's just the natural rhythm of the later weeks of summer. It builds in July and expresses fully in August - like now.

Do you get these moments? If so, what do you do? Do you just enjoy the easing up? Do you take longer lunch breaks? Maybe you don't have to stay late most days: There's just not that much to do.

Whatever your inclination, how about this: The respite that may come at this time of year presents an opportunity to focus more on your spiritual life.

We've talked about this many times - different ways to incorporate our spiritual life into our work. This can include always having the intention of working for the greater glory or God, recollecting ourselves from time to time during the work day to acknowledge God's Presence, various and sundry little mortifications, aspirations we can mentally express like, All for Thee, Lord, I love You Jesus - or any short set of words like these.

All of these are important. We can and should do them all year round. But if there's some respite that gives us a few extra minutes - maybe more than a few - at some point or points during these summer work days, here's something different we can consider: Read a short passage of some good spiritual writing. Read it early in the day. Keep it handy and come back to it one or more times during the day. Go back to it and read it again. Meditate on it. (Yes, meditate. Meditation just means thinking or concentrating on the points that grab you in some way. It doesn't have to be lengthy or formal. Just allow the words to penetrate your mind, and through your mind, into your soul.)

Here's one I've found helpful. It's addressing how to strengthen our trust in God's Providence by distrust of self.

“The soul arrives at a perfect distrust of self only by degrees. Her first successes come from the repeated experience of her weakness, which leads her to feel no surprise at her falls. Yet it requires years to bring certain souls up to this degree on account of their fancied goodness and imagined strength of virtue. Afterwards, by the force of God’s disposing grace, the soul reaches the stage where she is no longer not only not surprised by her repeated falls, but rather surprised that she, in her weakness, does not fall more often. She returns to Jesus after each, with the same filial confidence, expresses her regret, renews her resolution, and embraces Him, without supposing for a moment that He will remember her infidelity. Finally, she acquires such a sense of her nothingness, that seeing herself so small and so weak in the presence of Almighty God, each of her faults becomes the occasion of an ardent act of love, and an act of unshaken confidence in the Infinite Goodness of God, and her weakness makes her draw ever closer to the Source of Strength.

“Thus, in the depths of its nothingness, the soul finds the repose of confidence in God. The real and only foundation of this confidence is God alone – God, Who is infinitely good, all-powerful and faithful to His promises. On the one hand, we of ourselves can do nothing in the supernatural order, for the abyss which separates human nature from the supernatural is impassible. On the other hand, God requires that we be perfect, that we be Saints and live immaculate in His presence. Therefore, He will give us all that is necessary to accomplish His will. And not alone will He give it, but He is bound to give it – otherwise He would exact an end without supplying the means. This obligation God has imposed on Himself. He has even given, in the Gospel, His Word of Honor. He was sworn, and His Word is unfailing. And He entreats us not to doubt His Word, nor His Goodness. Furthermore, He bids us to recognize that the efficacy of prayer does not depend on the merits of him who prays, but solely on the intrinsic force of the Divine Promise. The more miserable we are, the more promptly and fully should our cry of distress call forth the help of God… Let these consoling truths sink into your mind, and lift up your heart. If God be with you, who can be against you?” (Fr. Joseph Schryvers, C.SS.R.)

There's a lot of meat here in a mere two paragraphs. You might find these two paragraphs sufficient to last for a few days, even a week. Read, think/meditate - re-read meditate. 

It's a good way to fill in those little summer breaks for the good of your soul.