Vacation's Over!

Don't you hate that? You just start to relax and then the vacation is over. It seems to go so quickly. But we had a great time, relaxed much, laughed out loud, read lots, ate too much, visited with friends and family, prayed without ceasing.

I discovered many things about myself while away, first of all, I don't do this often enough. The rest for my spirit was as important as anything else I could have accomplished last week. There was little rest for my body but my spirit was renewed and that was the goal. I will be seeking how to do that better on a weekly basis, disengaging for a while just to recharge the spiritual batteries.

That's what Sabbath is for and I, like most of you, don't do very well taking that kind of a day away, of rest for the spirit, of re-creating the mind, of connecting with God on a deeper level. It's what we need.

David discovered this in his life. He was a great king, very powerful, very popular, very faithful. He had learned through his great mistakes the meaning of staying close to God, renewing his spirit every day. It's what made him the man he was. It wasn't his power or his conquests, his riches or his charisma but his humble spirit dependent on God. He even wrote his prayers, his songs (psalms) in this humility,

"God, investigate my life; get all the facts firsthand. I'm an open book to you, even from a distance, you know what I'm thinking." (Psalm 139: 1-2, The Message)

It's a prayer of confession, of surrender. His desire was to live a life so in tune with God that he was willing and able to open every door of his life, every closet (even those that may have had skeletons) to God in order to give his spirit the renewal it needed. He was an opened book, because to keep secrets from God is to destroy your spirit; to withhold yourself from God is to cut yourself off from the vine that brings sustenance.

And he closed his prayer like this,

"Investigate my life, O God, find out everything about me; cross-examine me and test me, get a clear picture of what I'm about; see for yourself whether I've done anything wrong - then guide me on the road to eternal life." (Psalm 139:23-24, The Message)

This was the best part of my vacation. Learning again to renew the spirit, living opened to God. It's what God wants.

It's what we need!

Peace ><>
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