Tuesday, February 28, 2012

Falling away from what you love

Yesterday I spent three hours driving, six hours making myself sore; and it was just want I needed.  It would have been easier and more natural not to, there was a side of me which was resistant, but I'm so glad I did - and doing it made it more likely that I will again.

I went up to "The Woods."  Our six acres of wilderness 90 miles northwest of here.  We are building a cabin, so after discovering I had to walk in due to a bit more snow than expected, I spent hours fighting with insulation, installing vapor barrier, and framing an interior wall.  The physical activity is good for me (my muscles today are saying I don't work them regularly enough), the time at our get away is refreshing, but the best thing is the freedom to think.  Pounding nails by myself is my time to process what is happening in my life, to reflect on what God is doing, to mull challenges others who I care for are facing, and sometimes not think at all.

I don't have any music on as I work, there is no one to talk to, once I plan out the project the measuring and building is not mentally taxing - so it is a time to let my brain get caught up like no other.  It is really good for me - I try and have time like this once a month.

However, it is disturbingly easy not to have it.  I know it is good for me.  It is progress toward a desired goal. The resources are available.  My wife is supportive (mainly due to the common goal of a family cabin).  But I only have so many days off in a month - and there is always something else to do.  It is easier to do what is in front of me, or do nothing at all.  And how often do we fall into this trap in so many areas of our lives?

As a pastor I see it with troubling regularity.  Individuals and families who value gathering with others for worship, know it is good for them, but don't make it on Sunday.   Or they value serving others, but don't make it happen.  Want to get into physical, spiritual or emotional shape, but it is easier to stick with what's in front of them, maintaining life rather than making the choices for the best life.

This season - what is a break from the norm which will bring you the life you know is good for you?
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1 comment:

  1. Ed OFebruary 28, 2012 at 11:00 PM

    Years ago, in another life, I had a cabin in the woods in the Adirondacks. I used to love the days and occasionally the overnights when my dog and I used to go up to the cabin to do work. The alone time was my time to think, to not have to talk (other than to the dog of course) and to often come to the decisions that I needed to make. The days in the winter were somehow even more special, as the snow seemed to muffle even more so the noises of the world.

    Enjoy the solitude when you can - the work getting done is both in the cabin and inside yourself.

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