Tip of My Iceberg

You know how it feels to plan for something for a long time, only to have it end quickly? You’re left blinking in the tornado of time passing.

Our biannual conference in Colorado was a huge success. Which I’d hoped it would be, considering all the planning and preparation that went into it.

Rather like slaving over a beautiful Thanksgiving meal, spending hours baking and cooking and timing everything to perfection so it ends up ready all at once.

And in ten minutes, plates are empty, folks have pushed back from the table, and they’re asking when the coffee will be ready.

I haven’t eaten yet!

The conference felt a little like that. I wanted a chance to savor what was being said. To taste more fully the truths that were being shared. To really chew on questions I had that had only begun to have been answered.

It’s finished.

Now on to family vacation.

It feels a tad counterintuitive to gather the nineteen of us together for four days of fun in the mountains. We’re all coming with different levels of energy. Some have what it takes to hike a fourteener. Others are here with barely enough energy to get out of bed.

We’re only together once a year, so the value is in the time spent in the same place. We’re a spread-apart bunch, so gathering in Colorado made sense because most of us were here already.

Another nonnegotiable is relaxing together.

We all define relaxing differently.

There are those who want to see and do as much as they can while they’re here. There are others who want to rest quietly, sleep more, read. Energy propels some. Health issues hinder others.

It takes a bit for us to be on the same page. To allow those who need time to rest the space they need. To give those who want to be active outlets for doing.

And when we’re all together for meals, the conversations ebb and flow with who we are as a whole. Laughter erupts spontaneously. Voices ratchet up to be heard. Needs are attended to.

Family. Different. But intimately connected.

We’ve walked by quiet waters. We’ve hiked in the mountains. We’ve played games. We’ve talked–in depth and with fun.

Not everybody does everything.

But we’re all experiencing some rest in the ways we each need it.

God knows I need rest. I haven’t the capacity to deal with the issues of life, day in and out, without a break. A pause.

He knows how to lead me there.

“He lets me rest in green meadows; He leads me beside peaceful streams. He renews my strength.”            Psalm 23:2-3a

Life is busy and hectic. The busy ebbs and flows with seasons of responsibility, with circumstances over which we have no control.

Rest looks different for each of us, but when we need it–when we need Him–He gives us space to breathe.

Not a place. Not a length of time. Not vacation.

Time with Him to soothe my soul.

That’s worth savoring a little longer.