Sometimes I have to make myself go outside and simply enjoy my beautiful backyard. It’s like a little forest… who wouldn’t want to spend time there? But “all the things I need to do” often keep me from taking even a short respite.
But this morning, I could hear the birds calling, and I told myself “What’s 15 minutes? Just go outside and sip your coffee.” It’s true. Fifteen minutes did not get my schedule off track. But it did renew my spirit.
As I sat enjoying the morning quietude, I heard what sounded like footsteps approaching through leaves and brush. But then I followed the sound upward. A squirrel was busily gathering leaves for a nest. Yes, the squirrels have chores too. It might seem like all they do is chase each other up and down trees, taunt my dogs with their flashing tales and chattering, and hog the seed we throw out for the birds, but they have “things they need to do” also.
Apparently squirrels understand their priorities better than I. They enjoy playing with their family and friends, and even when they do their chores, they incorporate frivolity.
My eyes then focused on my pool… and the algae attaching itself to the bottom. Sigh. I need to brush the pool. Suddenly my respite time had become work planning time! Why can’t I just sit here and enjoy the beauty and peacefulness without thoughts of work pushing themselves forward in my mind?
Perhaps that’s what happened in the garden too. Adam and Eve, once exposed to the knowledge of good and evil, couldn’t help but see all the things that weren’t perfect… all the things that they needed to WORK to make better. It makes me sad to think of how their perspective changed, and how, after that, their lives changed. Their focus became the toil of living rather than the abundance they had been given.
Paul tells us that we have the mind of Christ. He also tells us to renew our minds. So, knowing that we do indeed have the mind of Christ—the ability to live in an abundant kingdom with peace and joy—perhaps the first step in truly experiencing that is to renew our minds to seeing the garden the way Adam and Eve saw it before they were tricked into seeing things through a negative lens, and therefore experiencing pain.
Our minds are capable of so much! They can work against us, or they can bring us to a resting place by aligning with the Father’s mind. As we do this, it only stands to reason that we can do all things through Christ, who strengthens us. And the peace that passes understanding, which IS OURS, will be the peace that guides our days… and even our chores.
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