Resting

I've been at the beach all this week with my family and have had the most relaxing and fulfilling week that I've experienced in a long while. I'm not the most chilled out kind of guy but I also wouldn't consider myself a total stress head either. However, I am smitten with some Type A tendencies that can drive me to be a tad bit on the obsessive side on the order spectrum.

When we first got down here, we hit the beach right away. After a couple of hours it was time to head inside and get cleaned up, and that's when I had my first encounter with my old nemesis - sand. This stuff is everywhere, yet somehow in the idealistic vault of my structured mind I assumed I could keep all the sand where it belonged, which is on the beach. You know that ain't happening, especially with four kids. It looked like a dump truck delivered a load of fresh sand in that house and since it is all wood flooring in there I could feel every grain under my feet.

So I did what I know how to do, which is sweep and clean as much as I could. What a futile pursuit that was. Everyday that we've been here it's as if more sand has accumulated. And to compound the sand issue it seems as if every time I turn around one of the kids had it all over them (just today Deacon took four showers from being covered in sand, each time after being cleaned and dressed). But the great thing about it all is that today it is barely bothering me. Being at the beach for me is thoroughly copacetic and what ruffles my Type A feathers at the beginning of the week barely phases me when it's time to go home.

Just one week at the beach teaches me what it means to rest and relax. Allowing myself to get lost in the ocean views, the sound of the waves, and the salty air is what does it for me. Ironically enough, Jesus tells us that when we lose ourselves in Him then we will find true rest (Matthew 11:29). It's nice to know that a special location can take our thoughts and mindset to another level. It's life changing to know that Jesus can take our whole being to another level that will provide perfect rest that for now we can only dream of.