I read a great story today about the poet Southey who was so proud of the fact that he never wasted a moment. He studied Portuguese while he shaved. He translated Spanish before and during breakfast and on and on. One day a Quaker lady said to him, “Friend, when does thee do thy thinking?” I love this story because I was early educated to believe that God would hold me accountable for every waking moment. Perhaps so, but just quietly being still counts; watching the leaves move and shadows crawl across the lawn is so enriching. Earlier this week I drove 900 miles on our concrete jungle of intertwining interstates on the East Coast. There is not much time for thinking about anything other than how not to be involved in an 80 mph accident. How sweet it is to be quietly back home watching those leaves and shadows.
We must never miss the fact that God placed Eve and Adam in a garden. I wanted to use the adjective quiet but He might have put jays and mockingbirds in Eden. I am suspicious that some of you might be thinking I am now going to use, “Be still and know that I am God” so I won’t do that. There is no point in telling you something you already know. Instead I want to encourage you to put pen to paper or these days I should say fingers to keys, and write yourself a letter. “But why?” you might ask. Wouldn’t I already know everything I would write down? The answer is, “No, you don’t.” Writers often say when they are finished writing, “I didn’t know I knew that!”
Written by Roger Bothwell on June 14, 2012
Spring of Life Ministry, PO Box 124, St. Helena, CA 94574
Rogerbothwell.org