“Go outside and PLAY!”
These were the words of my frustrated dad one summer day when I was six. My best friend, Steffy, was nowhere to be found and I would much rather get lost in one of my favorite books or color pretty pictures than go outside alone. Outside was boring. Outside was lonely. Outside was bleh. But I was an obedient child and could tell that I was already on my dad’s last nerve, so out I went. To sit by myself…on the steps…and wonder what all the fuss about outside was. In my six-year-old despair, I remember asking Jesus to help me enjoy outside. If I had been banished to the place, maybe I could find some fun, right?
Fast forward a few years and I found myself having another memorable conversation with the Lord. This time we were talking about slowing down. Me slowing down. And guess what he asked me to do? Go outside! Go outside and take a walk. Look up and stare in wonder at the cloud formations. Listen for the birds. Smell the air. Feel the sun on my face. Immerse myself in his creation … and be restored.
In his hand are the depths of the earth, and the mountain peaks belong to him.
The sea is his, for he made it, and his hands formed the dry land.
Psalm 95:4-5
What I discovered was the act of going outside caused me to naturally slow down. When I am inside, I am distracted by the ever-growing To-Do List (why does that thing never get shorter?!) and I am in constant Go Mode. Answer an email, make a phone call, pay a bill, do, do, do, go, go, go. While I am intentional to invite my Father into the work he has entrusted to me, sometimes I forget to stop and simply enjoy his presence with me in the process. When I do, the pace is different, and the load is lighter.
But sometimes I just need to go outside. When I do, he is faithful to refocus my thoughts, center my heart, and put things back into the proper priority. The Lord uses his creation to express love to this creation – me – his daughter. While six-year-old me felt banished and asked the Lord to help me enjoy what felt like a punishment, adult me has learned to see things differently and is now restored by the very same act of stepping out the door.
How do you slow down? How do you pause to hear his voice a little more clearly? Do you need to shake up the routine a little and go outside? As it turns out, it isn’t banishment at all. It is an invitation from your loving Father to come close, breathe deep, and allow him to remind you that…
You are adored.
You Are Adored 