I’ve just returned from a silent retreat and my soul feels clean and uncluttered again. How I need that silence to be able to hear through the noise and clatter of life in the 21st century. I never fully comprehend how desperately I need this until I stop long enough for the revving of my engine to slow to a gentle idle. Until I pull away so the “to do” list stops ordering me around.

And once I could listen clearly again, do you know what God whispered to me over and over? A good swift kick to the head to make me cower into confession? Some deep theological treatise? An earth-shaking challenge to save the world?

“Come out and play.”

Well, that doesn’t sound very spiritual!

We all fall into extremes. And the enemy is always pleased with our extremes no matter what they are, because if we live at the ends of the pendulum, we cease to rest in Christ. Instead of drawing our life from Him, extremes lock us squarely in on self.

I don’t know about you, but I fall into two extremes: being far too easy on myself, alternating with being far too hard on myself. I can become lazy or self-indulgent and tell myself “I deserve this”, “It was his fault”, or “I’ll do it tomorrow” (My primary spiritual gift is procrastination.). Never underestimate our ability to rationalize anything!

Then I can just as easily beat myself up for the slightest mistake. I can work myself to exhaustion, telling myself, “If I don’t do it, it won’t get done.” I can feel guilty for things I haven’t done. I blow situations out of proportion and worry about things over which I have no control. I take myself too seriously. I can wear myself out working for the Lord instead of being renewed letting the Lord work through me.

Am I the only messed up person out there? Maybe not, since Jesus addressed the issue…

" For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they? And who of you by being worried can add a single hour to his life? And why are you worried about clothing? Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor do they spin, yet I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you? You of little faith! Do not worry then, saying, 'What will we eat?' or 'What will we drink?' or 'What will we wear for clothing?' For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” (Matthew 6:25-34)

“Come out and play.”

Remember who Goodtime Linda is. Enjoy each moment. Connect with friends. Laugh. Explore. Rest. Find and enjoy fun things. Get outside. Celebrate. Make joy a form of worship.

“Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.” (Matthew 11:29-30 from The Message)

I want to live freely and lightly. But I can get so bogged down and hyper and tired and angry and overloaded and over-responsible that I become “under-relationshipped”. Is that a word? Well, it is now.

“Come out and play.”

Work. Pray. Rest. Play. Work heartily, as unto the Lord. Pray without ceasing. Rest thoroughly, secure in Christ. And play as the children of the Creator, who continually re-creates in recreation. In order to be healthy, I believe we need to do them all, fully, freely, to the glory of God. And that’s what we’re striving to do in Psalm One Ministries. To be so “relationshipped” with Jesus that His resurrection life flows out of us as we walk with Him and work with Him, learning the unforced rhythms of grace.

You alone, Lord, can live Your life out in us. I’m choosing to play with the Trinity.

On the journey,

Linda