Doing Nothing At All

"I lean back and let my whole body sink in to the frills of the green grass poking at every part of my bare arms, legs and feet. I look up in to the royal sapphire sky that holds no start or finish line. The only sign of activity way up there is a marshmallow trail of a single white cloud losing it shape as the gentle breeze carries it away.  The air around me is almost still and quiet as my mind wanders off, concentrating on nothing at all. In the distance I hear the slight roar of a plane somewhere far off but I cannot see it; it is an overture of the endless possibilities of all of the things yet to come but I cannot see yet in my life. But not today. Today I rest in the peace of the summer day at my grandparent’s house. My grandma will cook homemade macaroni and cheese for us. My grandpa will play bad mitten with us. And life is simple; life is perfect and beckoning me to take hold of this passing moment of doing nothing, doing nothing at all."

As I recall so many restful summer days long ago at my grandparent’s house, I long for the same simplicity in my life. It was a time when “doing nothing at all” was OK; it was acceptable. But now, we have been on summer break for only a few days and my calendar is full of colored coded markings designating how we will spend every day this summer. And I wonder if my children will ever know the pure joy of doing nothing at all. Our culture demands us to be productive and effective with our time. This young generation is not allowed to be at rest with the constant electronic and social media driven devises cradled in their hands at all times. They must also play every sport, take every class and play every instrument. There is no time for rest, even in the summer. Go. Go. Go!

But I wonder: what will they miss in the high speed traffic of life? Will they know the joy of sweet summer slow-ness while gazing at the clouds… innocent days of endless play or swinging at the park… the gentle pace of eating an ice cream cone while dangling their feet off a pier. I am challenged to set an example for them. I want to find a place of rest for myself to sit and do nothing except to breathe in the joy of life, of living and exhale songs of praise for all that God has done and blessed us with.

Prayer: Lord, may I find a place of retreat every day to sit at Your feet in the fast pace of these days. I want to savor all that You are and all You have done. May I slow down enough to hear as You whisper in my ear all that You want me to know and do. I don’t want to miss it… and I want to lead my children to do the same.