My husband is a wonderful man who loves to serve others. For ten days he is driving a school bus of teenagers and youth workers on a ministry trip. He enjoys having the opportunity to speak into the lives of teens as they travel or as he works along side them in a service project. I love that he has a servant’s heart.
While he is away I had hoped to be able to have a personal retreat without having to take time away from him. Life can get so crazy as a wife, mom, grandma, homemaker, employee, and more. It is exhausting.
But getting away from home even overnight didn’t work out so I have taken a few hours today to
retreat near home.
I love Psalms 23:2-3: “He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside quiet waters. He restores my soul; He guides me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.” There is something so very soothing about the sound of water whether it be a fountain, a stream, or a lake.
Living in the Pacific Northwest, we have no shortage of water but it is not always
the pastoral stream that comes to mind when reading this passage of scripture.
Today, I decided to sit on a bench on the shore of Lake Washington. I took my camera
so I could practice using the manual settings.
The water gently and quietly lapped against the shore.But, I had to quiet myself and focus on the water
to be able to hear it. We are in the middle of a heat wave and the lake parks are very busy.
There were moms and children playing along the beach, couples strolling along the footpath in quiet conversation, and joggers getting their morning workout. At one point, there was a cry for help from the water and I watched several individuals jump into the water to rescue a man that could have easily drown.
It seems that maybe the lake wasn’t the best place to seek quiet water with a desire for the Lord
to restore my soul and provide direction for the next few months, or was it?
I had also taken my tray of watercolors, a mini-tablet of watercolor paper, and a bottle of water.
I’m not a great artist but I love playing with colors and different art mediums. As I dabbed colors onto the paper trying to match the colors in the lake, I realized something impressive in the midst of all the noisy activity around me. All the noise and hustle-bustle did not change the quiet ebbing of the water. It still gently lapped the shore; it just took greater concentration and getting a little closer to the water to hear it.
As you can see, my watercolor doesn’t exactly mirror the photo that I took of the same scene.
In the same way my retreat day didn’t exactly mirror what I thought I needed and wanted. What I needed was to realize that it’s not the water or my surroundings that need to be quiet, it’s me. Allowing the Lord to “restore my soul” isn’t something that can only take place when I am able to get away for a few days of respite or take a step away from my usual routine. It takes place every day when I set aside time to read
the Word and to commit myself and my day to him.
The Lord restores my soul each day in so many ways when I allow myself to be quiet. When I am sitting on my patio listening to the birds flit through the trees and the bunnies scamper through the bushes,
He restores my soul as I realize He cares for me just as He cares for all of creation.
When I hear my granddaughter laugh and giggle out of childish joy,
He restores my soul as I realize it is in the joy of the Lord that I receive my strength.
I have enjoyed my quiet day. My wonderful family has given me space to have some time alone and blessed me by encouraging me to do what I wanted to do. This short respite has refreshed me.
It has allowed me to review my calendar and make a few needed changes, and renewed
my commitment to that daily time with the Lord that will provide constant restoration.
I’ll still find time to enjoy quiet water and allow His peace to flow over me—walking with my granddaughter to the fountain in the middle of campus, walking hand-in-hand with my husband along the lake, or listening to the gentle rain when our heat wave ends. I will allow Him to lead me beside quiet waters even if that water is in the kitchen sink full of dirty dishes that remind me of His provision or the teakettle gently boiling to make a cup of tea that I can sip while quietly reading and resting my soul.
Are you able to find quiet in the midst of your busy life?
Will you allow the Lord to daily restore your soul through finding a few moments of quiet each day?
I know it’s not always easy. As a young mom of three boys, my quiet time was often hiding in the bathroom for just a few precious, private moments. As a mom of teenagers, it was making sure that I had reading material in the car to take advantage of the quiet time in the car while they participated in sports practices.
As an empty-nester, it is getting up an hour before my husband so that I have a little quiet before
he gets up and wants to chat over a cup of coffee. It takes effort, but it can be done.
It’s hard to share your heart when your soul is exhausted.
I’m thankful that I have had today to rest and recharge, but I’m even more thankful that I can be
restored by the Lord each day as He enables me to share my heart for home.
