Good morning, Dear friends and Prayer Partners! This is the day that the Lord has made and we will rejoice and be glad in it! Another cloudy, damp day, but we prayed for rain, so God, in His kindness and provision, has provided it! The air is still cool, so the A/C has been off for a couple days. God is good!
The rain stopped, and the sun shone long enough for me to go the the library and return books and check out more. Then we drove to the park, and admired a peacock lying down (first time I have ever seen one lying on the ground.) All was pretty quiet because of the rainy day, but Ibises were pecking on the ground, and squirrels were scampering about. Rain doe not stop them! I also saw a beautiful egret keeping a vigil by the bank, looking intently for a fish. Then, back home before the rain started again.. It was good to get out .
From the book Quiet Moments with God:
The day is yours. The night also is yours. You have prepared the light and the sun. You have set all the borders of the earth. You have made summer and winter.
Psalm 74:16-17 NKJV
Much of life seems to be suspended between opposites. We grow up learning to label things as good or bad, hurtful or helpful, naughty or nice. People are kind or mean. The thermostat can be adjusted to avoid extremes of heat and cold. We look forward to the changing of seasons from summer to winter. Time is divided by day and night.
Not only are these opposites helpful to us in defining or "bordering" our lives, but they can help us release stress as well.
Very often people who are engaged in physical, muscle intensive work all day choose a mental activity with which to relax and unwind. Those who have idea intensive jobs often enjoy relaxing with hobbies that make use of their hands, such as woodcarving or needlework. Those in sterile, well ordered environments look forward to going home to weed their gardens.
Structured tasks and routines are good relaxation for those involved in the creative arts. The musician runs home to the computer. The surgeon delights in growing orchids in a hothouse. The factory worker enjoys crossword puzzles. The executive unwinds in the kitchen, preparing gourmet meals.
The Lord created us for this rhythm of opposites. God told Noah as he and his family left the ark that Noah would experience "Seedtime and harvest, And cold and heat, And winter and summer, And day and night shall not cease" (gen. *:22) Human beings were set in a world of opposites.
When you feel stressed out at day's end, try engaging in an activity that is opposite in nature to the work you have been doing. If you have been using your mind, turn to an activity that is physical. If you have been exerting physical energy, turn to an activity that is mental.
Let the pendulum swing back to rest in a central location.
Renewal and restoration are not luxuries. They are essentials.
Charles R. Swindoll
I always give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers with thanksgiving, joy and love!
Love and hugs,
Amaryllis
