I have been blessed with the opportunity to escape Pennsylvania winter for a few weeks this month. 70s and sunny seems to agree quite nicely with my muscles, but getting away, in general, has rewarded more than my muscles. My mind, body, soul and spirit have ALL benefited from this midwinter escape.
When it came time to pack my suitcase, I was a bit perplexed for I have never been away from home for this long. I had to prepare for a variety of weather conditions and also bring items I would normally do without if I were only gone for a week. The kicker in all of this is that the weight limit for my loaded suitcase was 40 pounds. There was ZERO chance I was going to allow myself to be charged for going over the limit! So, I did it, and even had a couple pounds to spare.
The byproduct of abiding by that weight limit and getting away from home is LESS distractions. I suppose we could have filled our days with endless activity, but instead, we came with no agenda other than enjoying the warmth. Fourteen days of white space…in a row! I long for those blank calendar days at home, but rarely find one. There is always something that needs done, someplace we need to be, etc. In all the commotion, it’s easy to lose sight of what matters most and so hard to stay God-focused. I’ve experienced greater success while away because there aren’t so many things vying for my attention. It seems I left a great deal of “weight” behind. I think Solomon was on to something:
“In my search for wisdom and in my observation of people’s burdens here on earth, I discovered that there is ceaseless activity, day and night.” Ecclesiastes 8:16 NLT
We do, do, do; we run, run, run (go ahead, put it to music)! Yes, I know, sometimes our responsibilities offer no alternative. But when we see an opening, we should take advantage of it. Use your blank space to recharge, refocus, re(whatever you need), etc. It doesn’t require two weeks, or even necessitate leaving home for that matter. But I do believe a conscious effort is required on our part. Go ahead, “pencil” it in on your calendar…with an eraser. You won’t regret it!
My favorite picture from our winter escape, brought to you by our Creator and made possible with “white space”