Having lived in East Anglia for almost 21 years now, we have built up a love-hate relationship with the A47, the main trunk road linking all points west to the beautiful east coast. This particular stretch was built on the railway bed just west of Dereham and boasts a delightful three miles of ruler-straight road without a bend, or views to either side, and even today does a good job of getting people closer to their destination. Even today with more flexible holiday dates and foreign package holidays, the A47 in late July and during August is filled with holiday makers most Saturdays, some arriving and others leaving, and living where we do we have a greater awareness of the great holiday getaway as families head to the delights of Great Yarmouth, Gorleston and Lowestoft.
All of this makes me understand the importance on taking a break. We live in a world where business seems to be a virtue and people like to remind us how busy they are and when they are not, there seems to be a culture of justifying and apologising. As I look at the Bible I read that even in the opening verses, God works his socks off for six days and on the seventh he rested. In our gospel stories Jesus takes time away, to rest and recuperate ready to face the next part of his work.
I endorse the fact that holidays are an essential part of living. When I was a lad there were things like the Bradford and Leeds holiday weeks when all the mills closed and the staff members went on holiday, the machinery was “rested” and repaired and the workforce had a break.
So, whether you are trudging along the A47 or flying off to foreign parts, have a lovely break and rest for a while, remembering that we all need to stop for a while.