Being a mum of six, I know what it is to have days when I've been faced with my inadequacies, fears and doubts.
Questions like, "Who am I? What on earth do I have to offer? What are my strengths? How and where I operate best. That may sound exhausting, but I have come to understand that these questions and the need for reflection as to who I am, how I am living and what I am spending my life doing are, in l fact, very healthy for continual growth.
In these reflections, I discovered the Greek word Schole, where we get the English word school.
Schole' means restful learning or leisure It is the pursuit of truth, goodness and beauty first and foremost. This perhaps is why schole' philosophy contrasts sharply with our modern world and education system, where there is predominantly a mindset of productive work, which leads us to emphasize results, production, and checklists.
Unfortunately, production, results and a constant "work" mentality don't seem to end with the school. How often do we as adults fail to see the value in leisure, rest, and doing something to find just to see what interests us and what we might be good at and enjoy?
Instead, we can become driven and can even struggle and have no idea what we like doing for fun, leisure, and personal discovery.
Which is why I am discovering the significance of bringing Schole' into my world. It's something I feel God regularly whisper to me during my day. "Look for the beauty, the true and the good".
Therefore it makes sense that the first step to bringing restful learning or Schole into our lives is to actively seek and begin to surround ourselves with the true, the good and the beautiful. To seek to find Jesus all around us and to give time and space to discover Him in our day.
Schole' encourages us to have beautiful things around our home that give us something to think about and contemplate. It could just mean planting flowers you can see from the window or placing them inside, cooking and eating something yummy, music, art, inspiring books, or decorating for the season. It's in doing something you love, like playing a sport, exercising, or just stopping to breathe.
It's in finding the beauty, the good and the truth that we find rest and much-needed leisure from "work". Interestingly, this sort of environment is far more condusive to learning and discovery.
Today I encourage you to take the time to nourish your soul, fuel your spirit and replenish your body.
Practice the art of Schole' – of restful, deep and meaningful learning and discovery and of surrounding yourself with that which is true, good and beautiful. God is all around us, and He has so much to share.
"Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honourable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable, and thinking about things that are excellent and worthy of praise." (Philippians 4:8). It's in restful learning that we discover Him.
"Come to me all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me." (Matthew 11:28-30)
Prayer: Lord, please help me to surround myself with things that help me to remember that life is not all about production and results but also about what is true, good and beautiful because, in them, I also discover and learn from you. In Jesus' name Amen.
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