Sometimes, you’ve just got to stop.
Like right now. For some reason, you’ve decided to stop what you were doing and check out this post. I won’t presume to know why you stopped by, but I’m honored you did.
Whatever trajectory you find yourself on, sometimes you just need to stop, take a look around, and get some perspective.
Like when you’re on a roadtrip and your eyelids are drooping, along with your brain wave activity. Or the grande you grabbed an hour ago is catching up with you. And the sign that announces REST AREA – 2 MILES AHEAD is pure gift.
The day after Christmas, my family and I took off to explore Montreal for a couple of days, and after cruising a while on 89, we were good and ready for a stop. So we did. But this rest stop was off the charts for getting some perspective.
If you’ve never taken a break at the rest area off 89 near Sharon, VT, you’ll have to do it someday. There all around you, as you climb out of your car, is holy ground. The space is dedicated to the memory of all who served in Vietnam during the US’s war there. And it’s very well done. (Click on the title of this post to see some pictures.)
I had just wanted to stop and stretch my legs, but my soul got stretched, too. To tell you the truth, I don’t remember a single fact that I picked up while reading the many informative panels. But I remember the spooky feeling of having the past jump into my present… and it made me awe-fully thankful that I had a future.
From just being cranky, restless, and tired… to being grateful on a grand scale. That’s some rest stop. One worth the label of “holy”. One that could be called a God-moment. A rest stop moment when God peeks in to say hey.
What kind of holy breathers have been important to you? Having coffee with someone you’ve lost touched with, maybe? Or checking Facebook or Twitter, CNN or NPR, to feel connected to what’s going on outside you? Those things might just be mundane, of course, or even time-eaters, if I’m not careful. But sometimes my little world seems to be spinning so fast that I really do need to jump off and take a look around me. I need a message from God. They’re probably all around me and I’m missing them. Until I take my rest stop.
Right now, by the way is on an exciting trajectory. We’ve got a gifted team designing what’s going to be an amazing website. We’re psyched to be starting up an every-Thursday gathering at the Crowne Plaza, a rest stop for those who need a bit of sustenance for their week. And we’re going to be intentional about drawing in those who can’t make it to the Crowne but need the rest stop just as much.
And how all of this comes together – what kind of holy rest stop by the way will become – can be shaped by who you are, how God has gifted you, and… who God is, and how God comes to meet us. I'm hoping you'll choose to be part of this journey, with your online presence or in person.
O God-on-the-way, visit me in this rest stop moment. Fill my lungs with your gift of oxygen. Refresh my too-full mind with your simple peace. Power me up with your own desire for all people to be fed and cared for. Move me out into your world… to find you… and to find others in need of you.
~ Kari Henkelmann Keyl
Monday, March 16, 2009
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1 comment:
Thanks for your reflections, Kari. Sometimes the best thing to do is just to stop and notice what is around you. That is one of the things I like about Spring. It isn't hard to see the promises of new life all over the place! God is doing such cool things this time of year... Other times it is harder to see, I think.
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