Sunday, June 13, 2010

Within Reach

We were out running our normal Sunday errands and our oldest son came along so that we could then drop him off at the beach to meet friends. We live one mile from Redington Beach here on the Gulfcoast of Florida, and yet I forget that these powder white sands are just within reach.

I have been so busy and so indisposed to life outside of the box I've put myself in for so long that I failed to see the rest that has already been provided for me. Just a glimpse of the brilliant blue water as it peeks from behind the vacation condos that crowd our shores makes me smile. When we drive over the intercoastal bridge and see the boaters setting out for a day on the Gulf my shoulders relax just a little. It's interesting because to be honest, I don't like going to the beach. First of all, the sun is my enemy, second, the sand is like a ninja getting into places it has no business being, and third, the waters right now are bathtub like at 90 degrees! But it sure is pretty to look at.

Maybe this provision of rest is not about "doing" for me, but about knowing it's there if I want it. School's out for summer, and I have to learn how to stop and enter into the rest that has been provided to me. Rest is something we choose; not something we wait to happen. It is, after all, accessible. It is within reach - just like the beach by my house.