This might sound like sacrilege, but hear me out… while I loved both Sonic Adventure games, I never really understood the point of the Chao Garden. Sure, they are cute little creatures that you can save and interact with in a quiet place away from all the combat… but I just wanted to get back into the action and continue advancing the story. I felt like the Chao Garden was a waste of time, slowing me down without any obvious benefit to my journey. But that was the point of the Chao Garden… to give me a chance to take a break and enjoy the ambience of the game. Slowing down isn’t what Sonic is known for, but even he needs to stop and rest sometimes.

With all of the pursuits in life that seek our time and attention, it can often feel like stopping to rest and get alone time with God is simply not an option. But taking a break to rest in His arms is not wasted time… it is essential to providing our body with an opportunity to recharge and giving our mind a quiet place to hear from the Lord. Even Jesus, who only held an earthly ministry for around three years, routinely took time to get away from His mission to rest and pray… so let’s follow His example today to slow down and take a prayer break when life starts getting hectic. He promised us rest, but we must stop and come to the garden if we want to experience His peace.

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake. Psalm 23:1-3

Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Matthew 11:28

 So He Himself often withdrew into the wilderness and prayed. Luke 5:16

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