Category: Priorities

Two summers ago, I witnessed a wide array of life experiences in my neighborhood. Within about a week, there was destruction and expansion, loss and celebration, among the two dozen or so homes on our street.

It began with an eviction of catastrophic proportions at the first home on the block. The entire contents of the house were thrown out onto the driveway and street.  Furniture and personal belongings were broken and irretrievable on the pile.  Eventually, a bulldozer loaded the ruins into a county garbage truck.  I never knew if it was a rental gone bad or a disputed foreclosure.

But then a neighbor around the corner held an open house for their remodeled home. They did a beautiful job of updating the home’s exterior and adding new living areas that probably better suit the needs of their young family.  Many cars lined the street throughout the afternoon and it was obvious that it was a happy housewarming.

About this same time we got word that a retired couple at the end of our road lost their three year old granddaughter; a case of sudden infant death syndrome. Although we usually chatted with them in passing, we made an intentional visit to their home.  As we sat on their deck, they softly shared memories of a little girl they loved but who had lived far away from them on the west coast.  They showed us her picture and thanked us for the card we sent, designed by a special artist.

Life goes on and two houses down from us, a family threw a barbeque and jamboree for a 50^th birthday!  We were forewarned that it would be loud but I won’t complain about kids, friends and family gathered outside to run, laugh, eat and sing in commemoration of five decades!  I was delighted to watch the lawn lanterns glow and listen to the country music on a warm summer’s night.

Life is happening all around us all of the time. Sometimes we have the opportunity or obligation to join in and other times we just observe. I have written previously about “rejoicing with those who rejoice; mourning with those who mourn” Romans 12:15 (March 31, 2017). The Bible also reminds us that people, our neighbors, experience many life seasons: “There is a time for everything, a season for every activity under heaven.  A time to be born, a time to die . . . a time to tear down and a time to build” (Ecclesiastes 3: 1, 2 and 3).  Wise King Solomon wrote more on God’s perspective on work, priorities, life and eternity in that passage.  Take a look because it is always worth reading the words of the Author of Life.

And who can resist the cuteness and energy of a new puppy? That summer two years ago, the next door neighbors got a new puppy.  He has grown up into strong, good-hearted woofer.  This summer, he has a new ‘sister’: another adorable black lab puppy, so full of life!

 

In planning for this post on rest, I began to think of adjectives that describe busyness and life pace. I thought of the words frantic and frenetic.  I wondered how they were different.  A quick Google search of the terms revealed that frantic has to do with one’s mental state and frenetic applies to behaviors and actions.  Whether we use the words frantic and frenetic appropriately or not, I am sure we all understand that life in the 21^st century moves recklessly fast!  With all our technology and the speed of travel, daily life is overloaded.  Should I call it frantic or frenetic?

I am very guilty of both overscheduling my life and carrying out daily routines with excessive effort. According to psychologist Archibald Hart, some important activities require adrenaline and heightened focus, but we should beware of keeping this pace with routine chores.  I find this to be true of myself.   I catch myself with clenched jaws as I peel carrots or furrowed brows while brushing my teeth.  Such intensity is unhealthy.

The Bible speaks many times of rest, of leaning on God, of waiting. Often the message is in the command form:  Be still and know that I am God (Psalm 46:10).  God, having designed our bodies, knows how they work and knows what is best for us physically and mentally.  Slowing down, getting away, and listening are frequent admonitions in Scripture.  God Himself modelled rest for us by stopping on the seventh day of Creation to sit back and enjoy the wonders He had just created over the previous six days.  He invented the Sabbath which is just one of His lifestyle ideals for us.

With age, I think we might get better at resting. It could be out of necessity; the body is slowing down, without its former youthful energy.  It might be opportunity; less responsibilities and obligations and freer to relax.  And with age, wisdom is gained; like Solomon, you realize that being a workaholic is all “vanity.” (Ecclesiastes 1:14)

Our frantic mindset can come to a screeching halt with a snowstorm. Where I live in northern Virginia, snow is a novelty.  We don’t get regular snowstorms.  When we do get measurable snow, the roads are considered impassable and schools close, providing a wonderful respite.  Neighbors gather outside, resting together between shoveling.  Kitchens are suddenly happy places simmering with soup smells and the scents of baking.  Families sit beside fireplaces talking and laughing.  The white blanket puts our frenzied lives to bed.

So while we wait for this winter’s big snow, let’s practice by slowing down and living reasonably. God wants us to savor the life He’s given us but we’re prone to miss His offer.  “God has told his people, ‘Here is a place of rest; let the weary rest here. This is a place of quiet rest.’ But they would not listen.” Isaiah 28:12