Slipping Away
by Keri Wyatt Kent
posted 8/08/2008
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Summer is never endless when you're an adult. It seems like you blink and it's gone.
My kids will go back to school in just three weeks. I have to keep reminding myself to not think about that—to not let the summer be over in my mind when it is still here in my backyard. Instead, I focus on just enjoying the moments that we have right now; in the garden, at the pool, in the quiet mornings where no one has to get ready to go anywhere.
Summer is a great time to engage in the practice of slowing. It's hot, so you don't want to move too fast anyway. Fall will arrive soon enough with its demands and schedules. For now, don't hurry. Choose to take your time. Live your life at a simple pace. Don't make plans for every spare moment. Let life come to you sometimes.
It often feels like summer slips away so fast, like water through your fingers. But have you taken any time to slip away yourself this summer?
If your overall pace is slower in summer (which will depend on your choices of what to say "yes" and "no" to), you can take time to enjoy each moment. Savor the summer.
And before the school and ministry year start up again, plan to slip away. Get a day—or even a morning—of solitude.
Solitude is hard to find these days. Silence is even more rare.
Block out time on your calendar. Arrange for childcare or whatever else you need in order to get away.
Find a place where you can be alone. That may be the biggest challenge. Google "retreat centers" in your area—that may help you find something.
And then just go. Bring as little as possible. Your Bible and perhaps a journal. A bottle of water. But don't bring a pile of books. Don't bring your iPod. Don't bring your cell phone; or at least turn it off for a few hours. (You won't die, I promise).
Give yourself the luxury of being unavailable to others for a while, so that you can be available to God.
So often we long for God's presence. We want to hear him. But we never get truly quiet. So much shouts for our attention. Relentless distractions surround us.
When Jesus' disciples completed an intense time of ministry, he said to them, "Come away with me by yourselves and get some rest."
What does that mean? Did he want them to sleep? To rest physically? Perhaps. But he also wanted them to rest spiritually. To be re-filled with his strength and power. How can we find that? Jesus words give us a clue: come away. You have to walk away from the noise and distractions. Get out of your house or your office. Go someplace where you can be alone. And then just spend some time quiet. This will feel uncomfortable. But wait. Wait on God. He will show up, even though it may take you quite a while to get quiet enough to hear him.
When a child you care for is upset, they sometimes cry, throw a tantrum, or just rant, depending on their age. What do you do to calm them? They can't hear your words of comfort or explanation until they are quiet. So often, the first thing you must say is "Shh, it's all right. Settle down. Listen to me."
Take some time—while summer is still here—to slip away with Jesus. To shhh yourself, to settle down, and to listen to him.
Keri Wyatt Kent is a speaker and author of six books. Her latest book, Rest: Living in Sabbath Simplicity, will release in January. Learn more at www.keriwyattkent.com.
Copyright © 2008 Promiseland.
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