A Time to Rest

By: Megan Chewning

A Time to Rest

Going to the beach for most people is relaxing. The sound of waves crashing against the shore, warmth from the sun rays beating on your skin, the ocean covering your toes in the sand, the smell of fresh salt water in the air, all sounds like a beautiful day. For some, this is what we live for, a nice relaxing day at the beach. For others, especially if you have young kids with you, getting to the beach is a job in itself, let alone trying to relax while you are there. Many times you have to haul a bag (or bags) full of lotions, blankets, toys, towels, drinks, snacks, umbrellas, etc, out with you. By the time you get out there, you are at the mercy of the weather, praying it stays nice so you don’t have to pack it all up after it took you 20 minutes just to get the blanket down with no sand on it. After you leave, getting all the sand off everything, and out of your car, is another task to tackle. For me, I have always seen the beach as more of a burden than a haven.

While we visited Carrabelle, I found myself dreading going to the beach

the first day we were there. Constantly thinking about all it was going to take to get our group of 9 out to the beach and back. Thoughts crossed my mind of having to clean up the RV from all the sand and making sure we rinse everything off before we packed it back up. We got everything out there, set up the blankets, put our sunscreen on and I laid down to try to “relax” but it was hard to shut my mind off.

Many of us struggle with enjoying the nature around us because we are constantly thinking of the tasks it takes to get there and back. With so many distractions in today’s world, it’s easy to let your mind wander to the next item on your to-do list. We live in a world with busy lives and even busier schedules. It’s hard to relax when you have a cell phone that tells you your every move, along with everyone else’s moves on social media and the news 24/7. But did you know that even the Creator of the universe instructs us to rest and enjoy His creation? In Genesis 2:1-3, the Bible says God rested on the seventh day and declared it holy. Surely, He did not need

to rest physically, but instead this is an example to you and I to take the time to rest from everything around us. Working hard is good, caring for your family is good, but why is it that so many of us feel “burned out” or can’t truly unwind and see the beauty in the nature around us? Maybe we don’t even know where to start.

It took a minute for me at the beach to realize I was allowing my thoughts to steal the moments with my family and nature around me. I started by putting my phone away and began to listen to the waves as the kids laughed in the background. I heard my almost 3 year old niece yell, “Aunt Meg, come look!” as she discovered a new sea shell she had never seen before. The warm wind hit my face and I came to the realization that these moments make all the set-up and cleanup worthwhile. If we don’t take the time to rest and enjoy the moments in nature around us, we will cut our lives short with stress, sickness, and burn outs. If God chose to rest and enjoy His creation, so should we.

58 BETTER OFF WET | JULY 2022