Wednesday, July 15, 2015

Dear God,

On the seventh day you rested.  You worked to create, you blew into humanity the breath of life, and then you rested.  Your model of work, life, and rest teaches us the lesson of the time and season for all things.

This morning still so weary from spending glorious days with my grandchildren, I opened the bible to find Ecclesiastes 3 staring me in the face.  "There is a time and season for all things," the author wrote, "a time to be born and a time to die...a time to mourn and a time to dance."  I remembered when that passage held special meaning for me.  It gave me hope reminding me there is a season of darkness but also a season of light.  The darkness does not have a corner on the market; the light always comes.

As I lay in my bed, I remembered your faithfulness.  Images of happy times filled my mind and I thought of the miracle of it all.  I recalled their sweet prayers, all five grandchildren prayed daily taking turns praying at mealtimes and at bedtime.  In my heart I listened to their prayers of thanksgiving..."Thank you, God, for letting us be together."  Such heartfelt prayers filled my depleted body and warmed my soul.

I realized today why rest is so important.  It gives our body, mind, and spirit time, space, and energy to look at our blessings.  When there are no distractions, our whole self can bathe in gratitude.  As we sit in the fountain of joy, we can release our fears, self-doubt, and disturbances.  We can breathe in the air of peace and breathe out all those things that keep us from living an incredible life of faith.

Thanks be
to you,
my God;
thank you
for rest.
Thank you
for time
to express gratitude
and thanksgiving.
Thank you
for renewing us,
body, mind, and spirit.

Love, Andrea