Sunday Snapshot: The Countryside

I’m not gonna lie–when the foreign affairs office called last Friday announcing an excursion to the countryside, I was anything but excited. In fact, I’m pretty sure I let out a significant groan. We’ve entered the final push of the semester, which means around these parts the to-do list far exceeds the number of hours in a day. And unlike the construction workers outside my window, I find it impossible to work all through the night. Consequently, jetting off to the countryside during our precious weekend hours was about the last thing I wanted to do.

And then last week hit. The week was filled with ups and downs, celebrations and deep grief, visitors and goodbyes, great joy and great pain. The sheer volume of emotional events, added on top of the general craziness of the season meant that by week’s end I was exhausted. We’re talking on the verge of tears exhausted. And I was even less eager about our mysterious countryside excursion.

Turns out the Father is a better judge of what I need. And it turns out this little trip was exactly what was needed after a difficult week.

Twenty four hours in a quiet, still, green, secluded area.

Away from piles of papers to grade, emails to be answered, hammers and drills banging outside my window.

Testimonies of life in the midst of death.

Creation boldly pronouncing praise.

Much needed rest and much needed perspective.

Refreshment and healing to bolster me for this final push.

He is good and His ways are beyond me.

Listen! My beloved! Look! Here he comes, leaping across mountains, bounding over the hills. My beloved spoke to me and said to me, ‘Arise my beautiful one, come with me. See! The winter is past; the rains are over and gone. Flowers appear on the earth; the season of singing has come. The fig tree forms its early fruit; the blossoming vines spread their fragrance. Arise, my beautiful one, come with me.’