Meadows and bees
Song and breeze
Mount and sky
Clouds against blue
Gurgling streams
Splashes and cool
Rustles and song
Rattles and tread
Bursting forth of life
Bud and bloom
Refreshing waters
Nourishment and newness
So, we bask in God’s creation
Soaking in His Wonder
Renewing and resting
His Light warming and filling
from “OF… Songs of Life”
Charlotte-Anne Allen
“Sit a spell and rest your feet!”
What a welcome southern invitation bringing thoughts of warmth, good company, and honest labor! Settling down with a cool drink of water and comfortable companionship lifts one’s spirits. After a long but satisfying day of work, I look forward to sitting and relaxing for a while. Don’t you, too?
I find that it’s harder to get to sleep at night if I haven’t given myself some time to just sit and find refreshment in some simple enjoyable things. Easy time talking with a family member is appreciated, as well as some time alone. I look forward to a nice quiet spot by myself where I can read or write, spend some time in thought, pray, and do other things which I enjoy.
What are some things that refresh you after a long or busy day or week? Those of us who are caregivers may be especially challenged to create moments to refresh yourselves. Seeking ways to pause, if only for brief breaks, will do much for our frame of mind and our ability to do our best with a positive attitude.
This reminds me that even Jesus was intentional about creating those times. As he was traveling with his disciples, they stopped at a well and Jesus sent the disciples off to town to buy some food. He sat down by the well, tired and thirsty, seeking refreshment and welcoming the pause.
Jacob’s well was there, and Jesus, tired as he was from the journey,
sat down by the well. It was about noon. John 4:6
I remember my childhood days of warm summer evenings playing outside with my brothers and neighborhood friends. I hear again the sounds of occasional passing cars, televisions, and our laughs and shouts, as our parents sat and talked after finishing the day’s chores… drinking from that well that comes from God. I remember times when we gathered with my family around a campfire, roasting marshmallows and enjoying each other. I’m thankful for those times and for opportunities to create them now, to pause and be refreshed.
May you be blessed this week as you rest in your travels and sit down by the well. Prayers for refreshment and renewal, quiet times of rest, and comfortable companionship!
A sigh a stirring
Cool touch at day’s end
Moist whisper speaks
From night skies and
Its indrawn breath
Stills the voices
Of insects and frogs
As the first taste of
Nature’s drink descends
From my open window
I breathe deeply
Releasing the day’s work
Welcoming the growing
Soft patter of quiet drops
Refreshing quenching
Soaking into thirsty soil
As downspouts begin
To gurgle and wash away
Accumulated debris
Drops rustle leaf and limb
As they dip and sway
Now flowing eagerly
Drawn into seeking roots
And renewing souls
The hum of the big exhaust fan in the window of our upstairs hallway signaled the beginning of another summer evening. As night drew closer, the familiar voices and sounds of my family about the house or in the yard were comforting and familiar. In those days of yesteryear, I see myself stretched out on my bed or curled up on my window seat reading a good book or just watching life from my bedroom window. To this day these same things in my own home bring contentment and peace.
We always closed the windows and retreated to the cooler lower floor during the day as summer’s heat began to build around mid-morning. Then, as evening’s cool touch came, the windows were opened, and the fans began to draw out the warm air that had built up in our upstairs rooms through the day. I remember breathing deeply of the cool night’s air as it was drawn in and listening to the sounds of life… the voices of insects, tree frogs, and owls and the rhythm of our small-town. The refreshing coolness brought a sense of peace and renewal, especially if the day had been long or difficult.
The windows of our hearts can be like those rooms on hot summer days. Sometimes we close them – perhaps due to doubt, anger, or fear – as we seek to guard ourselves or to declare our own will. I know that when I am hurt, let down, angry, or disappointed I too tend to withdraw and shut off as much as possible from its source. This may bring some relief for a time, until there is room for healing and the opening of those windows.
As we beat against the ills we see, so that our ears are deafened to all else, God’s cool healing breath washes over our world. May we not fail to see and feel it! There is injustice in this world, but there is also the breath of God. Like those fans, as we open our hearts to God, His breath fills us and draws from us that which is stale and stifling… that which has caused hurt.
Have you considered the breath of God? As in the beginning of time, “then the Lord God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.” *
We are living beings, whom God loves, and He said it was very good. *
My prayer for our world is that we will know God’s refreshing and renewing breath. I pray that He will draw from us that which is stale and stifling, driven by hurt, and fill us with the hope of His Spirit.
* Genesis 1:31, 2:7
from “Reflections from the Everyday” caallen
Step lightly now
Amidst the hush
Of morning dew
And sleeping dreamers
To greet rising sun
And dawning day
Scattering mists
And breaking clouds
The air it freshens
Breathed in deeply
Cool grass greets
Bare feet and soft touch
Step lightly now
In mornings sparkle
Hearts flame lifted
Life’s hope renewed
• Who we choose to be is reflected in pools of life
• Life is a mixture of many things
• This mixture can form mud
• Mud may be healing or may clog up the works
• Puddles form when too much comes at us at once
• Allow times of stillness to wash away stress
• Accumulate provisions for times of need
• Friendship is like rainwater
• Rainwater refreshes after long dry times
• We pour ourselves into things we are passionate about
• Run splash enjoy life
• Joy comes when we take time for small pleasures
Bring back and revive
New life bring forth
That which had fled
Return and repair
Once grown faded
Now refreshed
Rejoined uplifted
Accepted made right
As one dew-touched
Breathe life
Restore
From “My Words to Live By” c-a allen
Refresh! … From this word springs images of renewal, encouragement, restoration, provision, and rest. It has even made its way to our keyboard to indicate updates of new data and information, an affirmation of changes made. When we are refreshed we are energized, our minds and bodies cooled from stress or labor, and we are then able to continue forward with greater purpose and confidence.
I enjoy doing yardwork… mowing, trimming, and especially caring for flower, herb, or vegetable gardens. The work itself is a time of refreshment from the weekly chores and responsibilities, a time to engage mind and body in something else and for quiet reflection or companionable activity. A cool splash of water to my face… a drink to quench my thirst… and a shower when all is completed also offer refreshment.
Other thoughts come to mind as well. “Refresh my memory” we may request when a bit of a jog is needed and “refreshments’ are served at gatherings, breaks during meetings, or other times of fellowship. We are refreshed during times of vacation.
Paul’s letter to Philemon and the church which met in Philemon’s home is a wonderfully short letter written out of love and concern for fellow believers. From this letter, we gain additional thought about our need to both be refreshed and offer refreshment.
Your love has given me great joy and encouragement, because you, brother, have refreshed the hearts of the Lord’s people… I do wish, brother, that I may have some benefit from you in the Lord; refresh my heart in Christ.
How often in my busy life do I overlook the opportunity to refresh someone, to offer them love and encouragement?! This is a gift we can all give and is one we also appreciate receiving. Paul let his need to be refreshed be known. A listening ear, a smile and word of appreciation, a touch, and a helping hand… these are simple expressions of God’s own love for each of us. They are a commitment to extend both grace and compassion. In this we refresh the very hearts of others, a deep-down satisfying soul-restoring drink.
For they refreshed my spirit and yours also…
1 Corinthians 16:18
The Still Small Voice 