I haven’t shared thoughts on faith lately. After my nature posts earlier this week, my husband showed me an interesting article that struck a chord with me. Here is an excerpt:
“I am beginning to think that Joy is the sister of Slower. When I look at the path behind me, I notice that she is still there, holding hands with Slower, enjoying every step of the trip. She certainly seems to see a lot more of the landscape than I do. And I’m sure that she doesn’t have that anxious, worried face that I wear. In fact, now that I really look, the two of them seem to be spending more time sitting at the feet to Jesus than trotting along the trail.” – Skip Moen
Slowness is not an easy concept for me. I have a very active mind. But lately I have noticed I am getting my joy back, and I think part of that can be contributed to the rest our family has been taking this year. As I’m sure many of you have experienced, I have been walking in the desert. I was on autopilot, and had lost all sense of joy, I felt neutral and opinionless. We decided to stop going to church until I could detox from the routine and ritual, and find joy again.
Instead we’ve been trying to take nature walks and share Jesus with our children at home. We’ve been doing our own reading and having really interesting talks with others. Allowing ourselves to take rest, true rest, on the weekend has been amazing for our family. I can’t help but be reminded of Wendell Berry’s words,
“The mind that comes to rest is tended
In ways that it cannot intend:
Is borne, preserved, and comprehended
By what it cannot comprehend.
Your Sabbath, Lord, thus keeps us by
Your will, not ours. And it is fit
Our only choice should be to die
Into that rest, or out of it.” – Wendell Berry
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