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"The Family is one of Nature's Masterpieces"

Rest and Refocus

It's August and summertime is half over.  I need to truly confess that summer energizes me and the extra daylight allows me to plan at times.   I'm the type of person who needs to force myself to relax and not always be task orientated.  So I have one month left...can I intentionally take some quiet time for walks, hikes, and bike rides, and face 'empty' hours without being driven by guilt? Do I have permission to decline invites and graciously say 'No'?  I think that most of us have realized that if we don't 'plan for quiet time' it will be easily absorbed into everyone else's schedules.

Did Jesus take time to rest from his busy ministry?  I love how Jesus explains his need to find rest and refocus.  In Mark 6:30-32 we have the account where Jesus had to get away from the crowds for a while and rest.  Jesus and the disciples were so busy they did not even have time to eat.  They jumped in a boat and looked for a desolate place.

The apostles returned to Jesus and told him all that they had done and taught. 31 And he said to them, “Come away by yourselves to a desolate place and rest a while.” For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat. 32  And they went away in the boat to a desolate place by themselves.

Have you ever noticed how when you are on a mission, it's easy to take your eyes off Jesus and begin to focus on your task?  I think that Jesus really wanted to teach his disciples to focus and shift their attention from activity to relationships.

It never ceases to amaze me how fast time goes.  This next week we plan to drive to a desolate place with the family and jump into a boat and go fishing.
These are some of the things that I want to remember about summertime:

fingerprints on windows and door
baby books and blankets
early morning baby cries
swinging high into the sky
flips flops at the front entrance
scraped knees
 sprinklers and bathing suits
marshmallows and campfires
backyard BBQ's
spiders and bats
climbing trees
rollkuchen and watermelon
shorts and t-shirts
rompers and diapers
berries squishing between the toes
ice cream dripping off their chins
splashing in puddles

How do you wish to refocus?

4 comments:

  1. The family truly is God's masterpiece!!! Someone told me that grandchildren are the dessert of life - I think it's so true. I love your list of things to remember and that you are all heading out for some down time together. You will be able to add more things to your list I'm sure. Enjoy and God bless your time together!

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  2. Roll Kuchen and Watermelon!! Having some of that today at our family picnic.

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  3. Thank-you, that was a beautiful, and often necessary, reminder!

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  4. Lovely happy images of your family. The Summer has flown by. I notice the evenings getting darker earlier each day.
    Have a wonderful new week and thank you for your visit :)

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