Dock Sitting

As I sit and look at the calendar today as it changes to August 1 it changes my life. August means summer is coming to an end, coming to a close. If you were a teacher you would understand what I mean. Summer for a teacher is a much-needed time to refine our tools, rest, relax, and maybe be an adult for 2.5 months. I turned my planner page today to August 1 and there on the pages were things to do. The dates were filled with camps, practices, meetings, open houses, and the first day of school. A summer that has been about mission trips, Twins games, classes, and a lack of routine is gone. So in preparation for the approach of the chaos once again I took a break of rest and relaxation at my parent’s lake house. I was at Seminary for a week and stopped at the lake on the way home. While I was there I could sit in the chair and stare at the lake. I could go to sleep looking out the window to the stars in the sky and hearing the crickets outside. I had dinner at night while I watched the calmness of the water lap up on the rocks. I ate Cold Stone ice cream while watching the sunset. I prayed while I kayaked. I read the Bible while trees sang to me with their leaves. I sat at the end of the dock and played with my feet in the water as I sat in awe of the creativity of God and his love for me. Needless to say it was 6 days that I needed to prepare me for the next 10 months of ministry in the classroom. While I was there I picked up a book and God gave me these words.

When Satan pummels me with trials and frustrations of daily living. I can retreat to the end of the dock, pull up a chair, and simply sit a while. Gradually the pessimism, the uneasiness, and the anxiety all slip away, replaced with a peace and tranquility only God can provide. Different people find the peace in different surroundings, but for me it is readily approaches on my dock. Maybe “dock-sitting” should be a required pastime for everyone now and then. God wants us to stop take notice and utter a wow of amazement when our outdoor forays lead us to an encounter with Him. After all we do not want the stones to be the only things crying his praise.

As I enter into the school year very soon I may not have access to a dock to do dock sitting. But I know I need to search for that peace that I need to take away the pessimism, the uneasiness, anxiety, and chaos of the day and weeks. I need to recreate my dock sitting experience in Pella maybe in own house, the local prayer tower, Lake Red Rock, a bath, a run, a bike ride, a work out, or somewhere. Al I know is I need it. I need those dock moments because they are the times that God speaks to me, listens to me, forms me. In those dock moments I cannot help but come away changed and crying out in praise for his love for me. May we all seek to find and make space for the dock-sittings in our life.