One Degree to Another
Today I am working from the back porch of our house. After a long, hot Summer, it’s only 72 degrees and overcast, so today felt like an invitation to work outside. There are few places that refresh and recharge me like our backyard does. You can see two of the reasons why in the picture in this post.
That Hill
Its hard to tell in the picture, but the hill across from our house is beginning to show signs that Fall is here. Shades of green, red, yellow, orange, and brown are showing. There is something about this hill that helps me relax. It does not matter what I have been working on or what is causing me stress, twenty minutes of sitting on our back porch and staring at that hill calm me down and give me energy.
I think there is something biblical about this. Creation helps us rest and rejuvenate. This is something that I wrote about recently when our family was at the beach. God created the world in six days and rested on the seventh. He then told his people to set aside this seventh day for rest and worship. Since we live in this world that God made, it stands to reason that God intends for his creation to aid in the process of resting and recharging.
If you are beaten down and tired today, get outside. Shut off the devices, turn off the TV, and get out to enjoy God’s creation. You will be better for it.
Those Roofs
The houses in our neighborhood sit in close proximity. Sitting on this porch, I can see seventeen houses and and my Macbook detects twenty-four wifi networks. This sounds simple, but the sheer number of roofs in my view reminds me that people live in those homes. My family has lots of neighbors, who are all made in God’s image. Some of them know Him through His Son and some do not. Sitting here reminds me of the mission that we have been called to.
For me there is a close relationship between staring at the hill to rest and the roofs to be reminded of our mission. We rest so that we can live on mission. Rest is good in and of itself, but it prepares us for something. When we have spent time resting, we have the energy that we need to engage in the mission that Jesus has called us to. Rest gives us the focus to talk to people, listen to them, and think strategically about how to reach them.
Unfortunately most of the homes in our town do not have front porches. Most of what is called a front porch is actually a stoop that is only large enough for a small child. Our family is working on a makeshift front porch so that we can have more opportunity to see and to talk to our neighbors. (I got this idea from Steve McCoy.) At the same time, we still need the back porch, so that we have the energy to invest in the people that we encounter on the front porch.
Related Posts:
“Fighting Depression with Creation”
“Loving Our Neighbor in Practice”
For Further Reading:
The Art of Neighboring by Dave Runyon and Jay Pathak
Everyday Church by Steve Timmis and Tim Chester
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