A Time for Reflection, A Time for Rest

This past weekend my wife Monica and I enjoyed our 10th wedding anniversary. We had a short two and a half day, getaway planned to a nearby quiet and scenic location in Arkansas. The plan from the beginning was to go to a place within a short driving distance where we could just be still and enjoy each others' undivided and uninterrupted attention. The location was at the highest point in Arkansas called Magazine Mountain and there was no cell phone or internet reception up there, so that ended up being an added blessing.

Monica and I spent our time gazing over a huge valley and talking for hours. We talked about our wedding. We talked about our past ten years together. We talked about how we have grown together as a couple.We talked about our children and their individual growth over the past 10 years. We talked about me being called to the ministry; how that call has changed our lives and how it has impacted our relationship, our marriage and our family. We talked about how God was working in each of our lives currently. We talked about how blessed we have been over the years, even through tough times financially, personally, together as a couple and individually. That was all in day one.

Day two, Monica and I then spent our time talking about the future. We talked about what we want for our future together? What will the next ten years be like? We spent some time dreaming about the future years. We spent some time reading and we spent some time in prayer.

I wish we would not have waited so long to take time to reflect and to dream about the future.Life with 4 children and two careers tends to keep everyone busy. But the time spent this past weekend was freeing. It was inspiring and it was filling to us both. We are very thankful to God for blessing us with each other, for the time we were able to get away to draw closer to each other and to God.

We understand that we need to do this more often for our relationship and for our individual mental and spiritual health. We are looking forward to making future plans to do just that on a more regular basis.

Hebrews 4:9-11 ⁹ Therefore, a Sabbath rest remains for God’s people. ¹⁰ For the person who has entered His rest has rested from his own works, just as God did from His. ¹¹ Let us then make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will fall into the same pattern of disobedience.