Pizza and choir

1 February 2021

Taking time to rejuvenate both body and soul

Words Rebecca Moore

It was drawing towards the end of the six-week Christmas holidays. My children were aged three, four, 10 and 11 at the time, and the house had echoed with childish noises for many days.

That’s fine and well for the most part, but on this particular day, my ears were tired and I needed a rest. I could hear the kids calling out for me, but knowing more food wasn’t as urgent as they made it out to be, I closed myself in my room to take some much needed ‘me time’.

Within a few minutes, my three-year-old bounced into my room and announced: “Mummy, da kids want you!”

“Well,” I replied, “you tell ‘da kids’ that Mummy just wants some peace and quiet.”

Her little eyes lit up and she bolted from my room almost excitedly, which I thought was strange. She then poised herself on our back deck, cupped her little hands around her mouth and at the top of her three-year-old voice called out to the neighbourhood: “Eveybody! Mummy wants some pizza and choir!”

Not quite what I meant, but hey, that could work, too. The excitement at this point required me to put aside my ‘quiet time’ and head to the kitchen to see what food I could find – preferably in the form of pizza. The choir came from the backyard in the form of cheers when the food was brought out.

I love, love, love that when we mums get tired, Jesus understands us. He knows well the demands of feeding his children.

Matthew chapter 14 tells us of the death of Jesus’ cousin, John the Baptist. On the news of this, Jesus needed some time to be by himself. “When Jesus heard what had happened, he withdrew by boat privately to a solitary place” (Matthew chapter 14, verse 13).

Before long, he was followed by crowds who were eager to be with him. Jesus had compassion on them, spoke to them, healed them and then fed them – five thousand of them! He took care of his ‘children’ who ate until they were satisfied.

Still needing rest, Jesus dismissed the crowd and sent his 12 close followers on ahead, then went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. After a time of refreshment with his Father, God, he was then able to meet his followers again as he walked to them on the water in the wee hours of the morning.

Recharging renews us so we can refresh others. We are wrapped up in these human bodies that fail us and get tired and weary, but God knows just what we need, and we need to be still and spend time with him.

So take time to be rejuvenated. Fill yourself with food for the soul as well as the body. And if that comes in the form of pizza and choir – so be it.

Rebecca Moore is a writer who blogs at rebeccamoore.life. She is the author of First to Forty and Pizza and Choir. Reprinted with permission.