Previous Reflections
REFLECTIONS
January 18, 2009
"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”
Matthew 11:28
Lesson of a Getaway
The room we took became a temporary home. It was small and lacked the completeness of the real thing. There was no kitchen, no separate living area or dining room—only a place to sleep and a place to bathe. Yet for a time, it was home, a place to find privacy, peace and solitude. That was what we came for.
We came to a tranquil place anticipating rest. We brought casual clothes to wear, comfortable shoes to walk in, and an abundance of things to read. The Bible was among the several books packed in a suitcase.
We came and went from our room as if it was our own home, but the routines were different for us. The setting was not the usual, the people had different faces, and daily practices were rearranged. The room offered an air of rest, but also discontent. It provided escape from the usual, but soon we found a longing to return to it. The place with all its solitude and the room’s simplicity was not sufficient to give us true peace.
The getaway began with God stored in a suitcase. Somewhere along the way, we unpacked him and allowed his peace to enter our lives. The Bible opened the door to reveal his presence with us. Then we saw the work of his hands in the world around us. We found it in the trees as the wind rustled through the leaves, the birds sang from their branches, and wildlife gathered in their shelter. We found his voice in the words of those who spoke to us, and we found his ears in those who stopped to hear our thoughts. We found the peace we needed on our getaway, but it had nothing to do with the place we had come or the room we had taken. Peace came from the One who shared it with us.
Our daily lives are consumed with the pressures of making a living, rearing children, making a home, seeking pleasure, power, or fame. The stresses devour our minds, then our hearts, and finally our souls. We lose sight of what life is all about and pursue paths that will never satisfy—that is until the lesson of a getaway.
It began with God packed in our suitcase. After a while, we found him traveling alongside us shoulder to shoulder. But peace came when we allowed him to take the driver’s seat. That is where He belongs. Our vision is limited, and the maps we follow mislead us. But God knows where He is leading us, and we find peace when we place our lives in his hands.
“Come to me,” Jesus says, “and I will give you rest.” And isn’t that what all of us are looking for?
“You are the light of the world,”
Richard Ì
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