Getting Away in the Everyday


On Wednesday I went to Griggs Nature Preserve. One of the interesting things about Griggs is how secluded it feels when you are down by the waterfall, and yet how close you are to the busyness of life. Because the waterfall is so loud, I didn't even hear the traffic that was zipping by above me as I had time for me and God. Yet I know there was traffic. It's a busy road I travel all the time, and if you look at the picture below, you can see how close the waterfall is to the road.







When Matt and I were getting ready for our wedding, we did premarital counseling with Pastor Tom, and he talked about the window of time we had after our wedding to create "our" normal before we naturally reverted to who we had been before the wedding. Likewise, I think we have that window after any of those "away" times when we meet God and ourselves in new ways. I have several changes I am trying to make in my window following the Women in Youth Ministry Campference last week.One is finding more time and space for those "away moments." Because they don't have to be big times away.

My time at Griggs is one example of how little moments apart can make a big difference. When I was down by the waterfall journaling, praying, taking pictures, and reflecting on life and ministry, I forgot about that busyness. And it was wonderful. Yet the truth is we can't live our lives in those moments. That time by the waterfall reminded me of many times away: mission trips, camps, conferences. Each are times when I experience God, learn about myself, and grow in faith, but they are times to bring back with me, not times to live in. As I went up the stairs back to my car, and the noise of traffic became apparent, I was brought back to the busyness that is my normal life. But that short time away also refreshed me for the tasks of the rest of the day.

And even today - I still did my normal Friday tasks, perhaps e
ven a little more efficiently than usual, but I changed my scenery. I moved my laptop outside and have been enjoying the beauty of the day while writing emails and accomplishing things that needed done. A change of scenery that drew me away from some of my bad habits and helps me create a new normal. Because really, that is my goal: to create new rhythms with my life that allow me to more fully live into who I have be created and called to be.

How do you incorporate getting away into your "normal" life?


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