Often times I forget to stop and enjoy the beauty and the simplicity of life, and have to actually experience it to even remember what that is. Yesterday we spent the afternoon at my parents' house about 25 minutes from where we live. They live out in the country. There are neighborhoods - sort of - but it's a lot more spread out. Life seems slower and simpler in these parts.
I decided to walk "death hill", which is a 3+ mile walk up and down some big hills through a...simpler neighborhood. There are lots of trees, some ponds, farms, cows, chickens, horses and even some black swans along the route. At one point, I walked past a house as a woman was coming out, and she greeted her goats who were waiting for her on the front porch. Hmm, that's different (but it immediately brought me back to Kenya where there were goats roaming the streets, and up on buildings...as pictured). As I was walking, I was thinking about a simpler life (not to be mistaken with Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie's ridiculous reality TV show...which I am guilty of having seen a few times.) So often, as I've mentioned before, God has given me the encouragement to be still and know that He is God. But, I just don't take much time to be still. I'm doing dishes, or folding laundry, or watching videos or playing with the kids, or feeding mush to a spitting baby, or driving Caleb to school, or...just going, going, going.
This morning I decided to just enjoy being with my kids.
So, after I fed Hannah lunch, and after the (superhero) boys finished decorating their paper-towel-tube trumpets, the boys and I marched, skipped and ran around the dining room table in a "band" playing instruments to entertain ourselves and Hannah for a good 20 minutes (some decent exercise, too!). It was simple, it was fun, and it boosted all of our moods to be together, playing and enjoying life. At the moment Jon is unemployed. What a perfect opportunity for Jon to be still and know that He is God. At the moment my kids are all taking at least a two hour nap at the same time in the afternoon. What a perfect moment for me to be still and know that He is God. (But here I am during nap time writing about it instead of doing it - ha!)
Why is it that we get so caught up doing, doing, doing and going, going, going - even in our minds? I obsess over how I look or if the house is clean - and I get so overwhelmed with my thoughts on those issues that I end up just letting them both go...doing nothing around the house, or not eating any better or exercising any more. It's just so easy for my brain to just keep going and never stop - about so many things. I want my brain to be consumed with godly thoughts and ideas, rather than worldly obsessions. I want to take a 3 mile walk in my mind every day and just enjoy the simplicity of life...the peace and quiet of God's rest and comfort. I feel like it's in these times that He will speak to me most clearly.
God, teach me and all of us who find ourselves so busy to just slow down and enjoy life for what it is.
4 comments:
I struggle with this too, I find it's easy for me to be busy and on the opposite end, it's easy for me to "veg out" but I struggle with being still and just having a quiet time in the presence of God and asking Him to speak to me. The distractions win out for my attention, all too often.
I totally get what you're saying. Even when my body is still my mind is rushing, thinking, going, running. When I try to focus on God my mind is running in circles and can't land on any one thing. I have found that writing helps to focus me, even though when I first sit down to write I made need to jump around in my writing a little before the focus happens. But it's still such a hard thing to do...to be still in body, mind and spirit...and know God and just be with God. But I'm thankful that God is patient with us.
When's the next time you're going to walk "death hill"? Get it on your schedule. Make it like a scheduled appointment with an old friend at Caribou.
In our society, it requires us to be intentional about being unintentional.
I can really identify with you...
Maybe once as week I need to plan to go hang out at my parents' house and walk during the kids' nap, and have some quiet, reflective time, then hang out with my bro or whoever is there. Good suggestion, Scott. I do need to be intentional - about this and every aspect, probably.
Mom, I've tried the writing thing, and I just can't make a habit out of it, and that causes me stress...to know I have a journal that I am just falling behind in. But, of course, I'm SO GLAD that has worked for you, and you've been able to use that as an outlet.
And Jan, I am absolutely with you...I quite easily veg out when there's plenty to do - like when I know I should be cleaning, and get overwhelmed. Ugh! It's a terrible battle!
Thanks for the responses, guys!
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