From the outside looking in, it probably wouldn’t appear that Joe and I have been overly busy this summer. But our house definitely has been a hustle and bustle of comings and goings since early spring. Don’t get me wrong—we love our “embassy” (you can read more about that here), and we count each guest as a gift we get to treasure. But we found ourselves becoming “plum tuckered out.”
It was time to get away, regroup, and recharge in order to make room in our hearts and our schedules for the next round of welcome guests.
The problem with heading out for a few days was this: we’re too tired to travel anywhere! Add to that the fact that our favorite getaway spots just aren’t available right now, the fact that we have a dog whose kennel is booked up two weeks in advance, and the fact that we have a few trips already planned down the road, and you end up with us following the “staycation” trend.
But I’m not one for fully following trends—I like to flavor them with our own little twist…something that makes it uniquely ours.
What we needed more than a tan, a historical tour, or a shopping spree was for our spirits to be restored. And we both knew it.
I woke up at 5:00 a.m. one day last week and asked God to give us an idea of how we could simply “restore our souls.” As I spoke those words in prayer, Psalm 23 came rushing into my mind:
The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.
The minute Joe woke up, I said, “I have an idea!”
Knowing that we had four days between one set of guests and the next, we decided to take the first four phrases of Psalm 23 and emphasize one each day for four days. Here’s what that looked like for us:
Sunday – “The Lord is my shepherd.” The fact that we started this first phrase on a church day wasn’t planned, but it was perfect. To sit in church and be reminded of all that God is and all that He can do started our four-day plan in the best way possible. Take a praise walk (read more about that here), spend extra time focusing on Who God is, and remind yourself that God is a personal God Who cares about the weariness of your soul.
Monday – “I shall not want.” This literally means that we have no lack. Which, to us, meant that it was time to stop throughout the day and count our blessings. However, we didn’t want our staycation to be only about us. There can be a fine line between enjoying self-renewal and becoming self-centered, and we didn’t want to cross it! So we grabbed a little box of cookies, headed over to the home of friend in hospice care, and had the most delightful ten-minute visit to be a blessing to him and his family. And in the process, we received another blessing to count.
Tuesday – “He makes me lie down in green pastures.” This day had a gazillion outdoor options. However, the rain redirected our initial desire simply to sit in our backyard and read in our “green pasture.” But we rested. A lot. And I do mean a lot! Our bodies needed to lie down and know the peace of relaxation. So that’s exactly what we did. We both had books from the library that we wanted to read, so in between naps, we read…and then we napped and read some more.
Wednesday – “He leads me beside still waters.” I will tell you that our initial plan was to go fishing today. Joe loves to fish, and I love to do what Joe loves. However, we realized that sitting by a nearby lake and reading our library books was going to be more revitalizing for both of us, so that is just what we did. The still waters of Lake Robinson provided the calm for our souls that we both had longed for.
The result of these four days? “He restores my soul.”
Let me encourage you—whatever your reason—to take even a 15-minute Psalm 23 Staycation from your everyday routine. You will find at the end of it a fresh outlook, a renewed focus, and perhaps even a pretty nearby lake to visit again in the future!
