Under the expanse of a star lit sky
Where angels sing their lullabies
A weary traveler happens by
And sits with hope of rest.

-excerpt from “The Traveler”

© 2023 D. Kelly Andrews

We welcome to the guest house Earl and Jenn Burns: friends as well as fellow bloggers, travelers, and wandering spirits. This month’s installment captures the spirit of Wandering Poet Adventures. The beautiful photos below were all taken by Jenn—and no need for fancy camara equipment as all pictures were taken with her handy-dandy smartphone. It just goes to show, all that is needed to visit and catalog some of the truly remarkable places in this world is a willingness to explore, a desire to get out on the road or off the beaten path, and a phone to capture all the moments along the way. The writing is done by Earl and these are excerpts from their travel blog. So, take a moment to rest and enjoy the guest house. Oh, and check Earl and Jenn out at https://www.aseasonofrest.blogspot.com

Happy Wandering!

K1

Rest. Have you ever thought about what the word “rest” means? Have you ever considered the idea that rest is something you have been created to experience? Perhaps not. Life is created in balance, or at least it was before a human being mucked it up. But in that providential moment of Adam’s self-ambition, pride and selfishness where he bit into the forbidden fruit, (if the apple came from Michigan, I could understand) the concepts of perfection, work and rest were all given context, a context in which our appreciation for these things could, like the Garden of Eden, grow. For example, life is most appreciated in the context of death. Work is best appreciated in the context of not being able to work. But the concept of rest is a little different. Creation itself is not only designed to work for a purpose, it was also designed to rest. While Creation seems to move very naturally toward rest, for some odd reason, we humans seem to fight it tooth and nail. In Creation, winter is not “death.” Winter is ultimate rest. The trees don’t die in the winter, unless you’ve planted a banana tree in the middle of your front yard in Maine. Otherwise, they rest, and the colors you see on the trees in Fall reflect their true color as they journey toward ultimate rest. Among all of this beauty and joy, the sad and inevitable reality that we as cursed actors in God’s creation do such a complete job of messing it all up, all the while missing it all in the process – at least the parts that are truly important – like rest. Rest takes work, not only to be able to enjoy it, but to do it! Rest is a choice. When we choose to rest, we are choosing not to work, but our choice to NOT work is also a choice to trust.

It’s amazing that one can feel such a sense of rest, peace and simplicity within nature – a landscape composed of such complexity and mystery. Perhaps it’s because the creativity and control it takes to arrange such complexity into the beautiful images we witness whisper to us of an eternal power and a divine nature. Creation, in all its majesty can at times be overwhelming, speaking to places within the soul that otherwise remain in silence. The truth from which it originates sends with it a message that can be difficult to distinguish from the distractions of entertainment that we so often seek. When we choose to forget the pure and honorable, and instead, choose to listen to the disorderly roar of distraction, we miss entirely that quiet message of truth that soothes the soul and ministers to the mind. The passing whisper of the wind and the crash of the waves have a way of eroding the menacing cliffs of uncertainty left by the storms in life, or the intricate detail produced by a true craftsman can once again bring flavor to a life that has lost its taste and slow the quickened pace of a heart that is worried by the cadence of constant distraction. All too often we miss the obvious things in life because we lack clarity of mind. In fact, I allow the obvious truths of reality to escape me far too often, like missing the details of Creation when I shouldn’t, and I know it’s because my perception is so cluttered and clouded with those things that just aren’t necessary.

In our culture, time is perhaps the most underappreciated commodity, and the effect on the objects of our affection and our own perspective of those objects (and affections) change inevitably with the passing of time. Moments of light seem to give way to shadow, seasons of destruction burn away both things of value as well as the things we take for granted, and what remains is often times stronger and more valuable as a result. Human contentment is so fleeting. Our sense of security grows tall in times of prosperity when the shores are calm and there’s plenty of food on the table and money in the bank. But the very minute our circumstances change, and the waves rush in, the sky gets black, or “the hard hand of war” seems imminent, our hope seems to flit away faster than the hummingbird’s whirring wings sail it from one flower to another. In our moments of deep distress, there’s little encouragement to be found. But take heart, continue to rest as long as your circumstances allow, and when the storms pass, (and they will) consider where your hope lies – and rebuild. We have been reminded again and again of the importance of rest and perspective in our own lives, which can elude the best of us because, as you know, the comforts of life are not static. Change is not just marked by personal growth and lessons learned, it is also marked by the breaking down of things and the decay from what was once beautiful to what is now faded, worn out, and no longer capable of what it once was. Those effects of time on things of beauty and purpose tend to leave us pondering what to do when that season inevitably arrives.

Hardship has a way of bringing into focus the blessings that already surround us. And, without hardship, we cannot understand blessing. Without justice, we cannot understand mercy, and without darkness, we fail to adequately appreciate the light. In whatever circumstance you find yourself today, with whomever you interact, seek to understand before being understood. Take the time to lose yourself in the painted details framed in the lives depicted around you. Stop and make mental notes and then act. Rest from your labors and the distractions around you and consider the world in which you live. Step outside into God’s glorious creation and humbly thank Him for where you are today and for where you have been – because without knowing the darkness of Winter, the loss associated with sacrifice, the discord associated with separation or the miles marched on blistered feet, we will fail to appreciate the light and will remain cold, unable to bask in the light of the One who created it all or share it with those in need. Behold the beauty that surrounds you and choose to rest in the moments you are given.