“Rest is not idleness, and to lie sometimes on the grass on a summer day listening to the murmur of water, or watching the clouds float across the sky, is hardly a waste of time.”

John Lubbock

Something about summer brings out the child in me. Perhaps it’s hanging out with the grandkids, seeing friends spend more time with their children home for the summer, or merely the playfulness that summer can bring. For this month, I call it my sabbatical month. It’s my month of rest and play. While there is much to still do even while playing, I find the slowing down contributes to what it means to rest. Watching the water, lingering with long sunsets, waking to bright sunshine, and walking barefoot bring about a peacefulness that accompanies this season.

Over the last few blogs, I’ve been speaking about the Camino of Selah – the journey we’re on, both individually and together. Part of the journey requires rest. Not just the rest of sitting down to catch our breath or ease our muscles, but also the rest that allows us to see things, feel things, touch things differently. One of our Selah friends, Jeffrey, reminded a group of us the value of walking barefoot in the dirt. Apparently, research shows the value of getting dirty. Remember those dirt pies? Playing with dirt, feeling it swish between our toes, jumping in water puddles (we’ve had a few recently in the Pacific NW, even in August), God must smile, perhaps laugh, at the joy that comes in enjoying the creation we’ve been given.

Take time on your Camino to rest, to play, to notice, to pause in the midst of these summer months. Let the God of creation remind you of rhythms that serve to slow us, restore us, cultivate new places in our hearts, minds, souls, and bodies.

If you want to read more about walking barefoot, read this blog post by Christine Sine in GodSpace: https://godspacelight.com/2019/07/08/meditation-monday-let-your-feet-be-free/

 

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At the end of the summer, the posts will culminate with a Selah Gathering of Companions and Friends on September 8^th, 3-5 pm, Dumas Center, Federal Way. Throughout the spring and into the summer, we have been holding Gathering Hubs in various locations where there is an expression of Selah. From those conversations, we will have an opportunity to share in our Camino of Selah as well as our individual journeys that serve as an encouragement for one another. For as we say in Selah, above all else, if you are able to bring your desire to know God more deeply, and that is all at this time, then you share the journey. We hope that you are able to join us at the Gathering in September. Let us know if you plan to come.