Sunday’s “View from The Front Porch” in the west

One of my favorite things to do, is to rise early, and with my cup of coffee in hand, sit quietly, reverently and contemplatively on my little Front Porch as the Sun begins to peak over the landscape from the East. Not that this can happen on a daily basis, mind you, but, it is one of my favorite times, (especially on the first day of the week) when I can indulge in this activity and let the coolness of the early morning soak into my mind and bones before the typical Summer heat invades the day.

Now, don’t misunderstand, I love this area of the State that I have called “Home”, for over 20 years now…it’s just the months between June and September that I hate (well, actually that’s a pretty strong word, hate, but lets just say that I have never liked, or tolerated excessive heat, with temperatures rising from 102 to 120 on a day to day basis!)

So what in the world would I be doing, you might ask, locating in an area with that climate history? Well…it’s because I love everything else about this area, the beautiful Mountains and Lakes and rural surroundings, the People, the Sense of Community and that small town feel, these are all the things that first drew me and keep me here, so guess you might say that I’ve learn to tolerate the triple digit summer days, and as often as possible, to prepare myself, I get out early in the morning, to water the potted plants and to allow myself the much needed time to the drink in the refreshing of this time of day. Spending a while contemplating and pondering and preparing my mind, body and soul for the day, helps me endure what follows, non-stop HEAT !!! I’m talking, sweltering, smothering stifling…….H E A T!!!!!!!

Isn’t that just like life? Unless we spend a few quiet moments in communication with our Creator to give us the peace and refreshment and focus for our day, the heat of life, just comes searing in!! It’s not exactly the same scenario for each of us, but without a doubt, when we just start to feel that we are getting it together, feeling pretty darned comfortable, and confidant about our lives, …...life happens!!!! Just like that heat of summer, it saps our strength and leaves us drained emotionally, physically and spiritually and, it seems to get more and more stressful and demanding and draining, day by day. The more we seem to gain in wisdom, maturity, life experience , those creature comforts that we all love and need, financial security, technology and time saving helpers, the greater the pressure to go go go, and do do do……..“multi-tasking ”

( now that, is a Millennial word for sure!! ) This technology- driven society has learned to do a minimum of 6 things at once, compared to a generation or two ago when Monday was simply washday!! And, despite our abilities to juggle all these stresses and demands, it still feels as though we are falling behind in the race of life.
There are times , in my mind, that I swear I hear those high, squeaky voices of the little mice, from Disney’s Cinderella movie singing, ( at Warp Speed) … “ Cinde rell e, Cinde rell e, all I hear is CINDE rel lE , ..from the moment that I wake up, there calling calling, calling!!!!!” you can do it, you can do it Cinder ell e!” ……. sound a little too familiar??? Too many pressures, too many demands, too much to think about and never enough time to do it all!! Just as the smothering excessive heat stifles our strength, so does the heat from the demands of life!! So many to care for, so much left undone, so many needs that we can never hope to meet, worthy causes, important commitments, ……worries, anxieties, pressures, demands!! There it is again, that annoying high and screechy sound of the mice singing. ..only, now, it seems to be my name inserted in the verse!!!!

For heaven’s sake, I scream to that song in my mind. Today is Sunday, A day of rest, and already I am facing the next weeks pace.

During my quite time today, I began to consider the ways that we cope with the increasing daily demands and psychological pain ( guilt, or anger over what we can’t control ) those issues that we each face, and that seem to rule our days…we run, we hide, we long to ESCAPE!!! We hang imaginary signs on our Doors and Hearts that say “ DO NOT DISTURB!!” (….L E A V E ME ALONE!! I NEED SPACE…I CAN’T DO THIS ANYMORE!!!!!! I am (sun) Burned Out!! ) Are you relating at all???? Why do we let it get away from us, or why do we look for substances and sources to try to mask the feelings, that we know we shouldn’t be feeling…could there be a disconnect between our heart knowledge and the reality of what we are living? My head seems to know the right way to handle this, but am I able to do this on my own??? Not a chance!! I’ve tried and failed miserably!!

In my own personal experiences, I’ve learned ( mostly the hard way, I admit ) that those times of “burn out” can only fully be restored and refreshed when I go to the right source. Not the easiest source, always, as I tend to want to vent first to a friend, or scream at my cat, or overreact to my family, or some other activity that is fruitless.

Though we can’t often control the degree of the “heat” (those “ Heated” pressures and concerns that literally dry up our “bones” ) we can, I’ve found, “insulate” ourselves by taking some early morning time, to rest by the Still, Refreshing Waters of Gods Word, and to drink in the life giving refreshment before facing the inevitable and unforeseen searing heat of the days we will face.

When our Daughter was small we taught her, (probably as you have as well) when crossing the street, to STOP, LOOK, AND LISTEN ( for impending danger) . What good advice for us, in facing the heat of the day, as we:

· STOP Find a place and a time to hesitate, preferable early in the morning before the HEAT of our day begins, sit down quietly and rest, and refocus on the Source of Life, just BASK in His glory…you don’t have to do much else, as HE is ready and able to do what is needed from this point.

· LOOK …. look up, Psalm 123 tells us this, and when we look UP, rather than down at what is facing us, we can see that all around us is the evidence of the handiwork of the Master Architect, who created everything we see, for His Pleasure, and our enjoyment. He is the one who created US, to commune intimately with, and be refreshed by HIS strength, and not our own, (or worse, some foreign substance that is only temporary) and remember as you LOOK UP, that HE is the TRUE Time Keeper of life, and when we let HIM orchestrate our time schedule, and “insulate” us, we will endure the heat of the day so much better

AND THEN, we must…………………
· LISTEN … That means, don’t talk!!!, and trust me when I tell you, this is a challenging one for me, as I am quite a talker … but, just wait, with His Word sitting right in front of you, Is always a good thing ,…and just let his spirit speak to your soul, and to guide and direct you to the very spot that you need, for the very tasks that this new day will hold !!

Most all of us are familiar with Psalm 23, the shepherds Psalm… which is one of my earliest memory verses, but have you ever stopped to realize that it says “He maketh me” to lie down in Green ( restful, restorative, nourishing) Pastures, and Not that .. He “ leteth me” lie down? Sometimes, I just keep on pressing on, trying to handle, balance and endure the heat in my life.

Maybe it could be, I’m thinkin’, that He is allowing the impending “searing heat” of the day ahead, to drive us to lie down, and look to the One who comforts, protects and restores our body, mind and souls. Maybe we don’t need to run and hide, or turn to something ( or someone) that never fully satisfies, and just maybe we can keep those old “DO NOT DISTURB" Signs in the drawer, because when our hearts are fixed on him, it’s only then, that we are truly at Peace and Rest and ready to face the day, under the Shadow of His Wings, where, no matter how hot they day gets, we will be sheltered.

Well, I think I am ready to face the day now, and hope you will be too. Knowing that whatever degree the temperature reaches, we can withstand it. And, I pray that each of us will remember confidently that, no matter what we face this hour, day, or week, we will never face it unarmed, unprotected or without strength, if we come to the Source of Living Water before attempting to face the heat of the day :

Ps 23 NIV : The Lord is my Shepherd, protector, defender, and RESTORER of my soul
Ps 92: 13-14 The Righteous SHALL flourish, in the courts of the Lord, still bear fruit in old age, and be FRESH and Green.
Jer 17:8 ( we will be like) A Tree planted by the water, who sends out roots and WILL NOT WITHER in the Heat of the day!!

Read Psalm 92 ( a Song for the Sabbath)

Stay Cool, my Friends, no matter what the temperature, where you reside, and hopefully you will join me on the “ Porch in the West, next time, as I dig a bit deeper into the issue of the “ DO NOT DISTURB” SIGNS that we place over our hearts.

Praying with, and encouraging you till then,

Sharon

Front Porch Challenge for this week-
Attemp to carve out some time for God each morning so that you can arm yourself with his word and begin the day with a heart prepared to look for him in everything. If you do this with intention make metal or written notes about any changes you may notice in your week this week so that you can come back to the porch and share them with us.