Leonardo da Vinci once wrote:
"Every now and then go away, have a little relaxation, for when you come back to your work your judgement will be surer; since to remain constantly at work will cause you to lose power of judgement. Go some distance away because the work appears smaller and more of it can be taken in at a glance, and a lack of harmony or proportion is more readily seen."
Hazel and I have just returned from a week's break in the Lake District. It was good to just get away and stop. Although, we did walk many miles on the hills during our time there.
Whenever I get some solitude I'm always listening for God's voice. What is God saying to me today? There were two moments last week when I felt God was speaking to me.
Firstly, there was the little girl in yellow wellies. She was paddling in the edge of Lake Coniston trying to catch the little ducklings, who were in turn looking for food from people. Every time she tried to catch a duckling it swam into deeper water out of her reach. I watched this little girl to see if she would catch a duckling. As I did, I noticed that the more she tried to catch one, the deeper she ventured into the water.
Her wellies were only short and it was only a matter of time before she stepped in too deep and the water would come over the top and flood her yellow boots. As it was a cold day, I wondered what her reaction would be when the inevitable happened. She stepped in deep to try to catch her latest target. The water flooded over the top of her boots and filled them up. To my amazement she didn't bat an eyelid.
I was impressed. This little girl was carefree. Her flooded wellies didn't bother her. She continued chasing the ducks. As I watched her, laughing and splashing about, I thought, that's how God wants us to live - carefree. 'Unless you come as a child…'
Secondly, on another day, Hazel and I walked round Humphrey Head, the only true sea cliff in North Lonsdale. In 1281, Edward 1 commissioned a man called Peter Corbet to kill every wolf in the kingdom. The last English wolf lived on Humphrey Head. As we passed through the woods on the far side of the head, I imagined Peter Corbet here hunting his last wolf. What a task - to pursue and kill every wolf in the kingdom.
I thought of our walk with God and how we need to constantly subdue the flesh lest our enemy turn on us and devour us.
Somehow we are called to hold these two things in tension: To live a carefree life and to be alert to the wolves prowling in the kingdom. Peter obviously thought about this when he wrote:
“Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.”
1 Peter 5:7-8
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