Time Out

We decided to disappear to an island in a lake for the afternoon and evening after church last Sunday.

It was nice. We put up a hammock and I had my current book and phone camera. Elv snoozed. I read my book. The solitude of the island was lovely and our way of finding some needed grace in the wilderness.

Stress had added up again. Added up to the point that Amy’s baby shower threatened to be swallowed whole for me. But she arrived pretty and smiling and gracious despite a big day of helping Lance’s move. Her friends sat with her while she pulled sweet, boy-baby outfits and diapers and blankets from pretty bags. I am determined that the rest of life is not going to destroy the joy of a new grandbaby.

I feel really grateful and not a little triumphant because we are learning that it works to decide to let Jesus carry these things. Oh this isn’t a one time event, you know, handing it off to Jesus. By no means. This is a relationship. Problems do need to be worked through. And we make mistakes. And people hurt. And some people need to be confronted. All these are unavoidable realities. But we don’t need to carry them all day long. And lose our joy. Losing peace and sleep does not solve problems.

We have our own happy life to live. This doesn’t mean we don’t care about the sorrows and cares around us. It means that we guard our everyday living with ordinary work.

I like to think about how God has created a boundary for the oceans and the waterways. They can come no further, says the scripture. The same goes here. We make a conscious decision to drop problem solving to have clear minds and hearts to enjoy the beauty and bounty of our amazing garden. We are happy to pray. But we have exciting projects to do. People to love. Picnics. Fall campfires. Our own real life to live. If we let this go by being overburdened, we lose our ability to effectively pray about things or to help anything.

That bee in the Snapdragon flower got to the nectar by crawling way into the flower. He almost disappeared in there. That’s where the good stuff of life is found for a bee. He’s not wringing his hands over whether the other bees are making it in life or not. He’s just doing what bees do, happily.

The best part of taking our problems to Jesus is that He is in control anyway, and whatever happens is within His notice and plan and mercy. He is not watching with gasps of horror over what just happened. I guess I can go can the pickles in peace.