There is something about sitting on my porch looking out at the perennial garden along the back of our house. When it is warm enough to be outside, it is my favorite place to be. I woke up extremely early for me today. I have been (for the most part) sitting out here enjoying the colors, sounds, and smells of nature from my worn but sweet comfy chair with iced coffee and a fine cigar close at hand. I have been enjoying the quiet, the heat, and the time to think, pray, and write.
Last July I started a second job as Mandi (my ridiculously awesome wife) was going to be out of work for several months recovering from a knee replacement. From then until the end of May I was working 7 days a week. It was what I needed to do for that time, but now I am back to having 2 days off. And let me tell you, I have missed having time to rest from work. Perhaps that helps understand why I would be so happy to be sitting here since the wee hours of the morning.
One of the things I have been learning through this last season of life is how important rest is.
Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns. For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy (Exodus 20:8-11, NIV).
That fourth commandment about keeping the Sabbath was not a divine suggestion! Our Father’s commands are not given simply to restrict or to make life difficult, but to free us and make life fuller, richer, and sweeter. Today I have been enjoying the grace and truth that comes from embracing the wisdom of that command.
Learning To Be Full Of Grace And Truth. 