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Sabbath Rest

The gift of time is something all of us would be pleased to accept. The Sabbath is such a gift from God who as Lord of the Sabbath invites us to make time to rest, to refresh, to take note of our surroundings esp. our relationships including with God.

In conversations with seafarers and what I can see in their demeanour they need to rest and take note. The long time at sea sometimes in rough weather with little sleep, early morning arrivals in port, the schedule in port of working 6hrs on and 6hrs off, there being less crew on bigger ships, inspections or even the expectations of take their toll and can lead to fatigue, low morale and accidents.  

Painted on many ships are the words ‘Safety First’ and if this means anything then everything possible needs to be done to make sure seafarers have their Sabbath rest. The result is a crew that is more motivated and attentive, capable of dealing with the demands of life onboard. The same can be said for those of us who depend on seafarers and make our living onshore.  

Matthew 11:29 Jesus said and invites each of to “Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.