Lazy Sundays

I love Sunday afternoons. My wife and I have made it rule to reserve Sunday afternoons just for us. More often than not, that means a nap or just relaxing in one another's arms for a couple of hours. It's our time to recharge the batteries and get energized for the coming week.

Yeah, sometimes life stuff gets in the way. Whether we have an errand or two that can't wait or we are drawn to visit with friends or family, sometimes we miss our "nappy time." There's always a price to pay though, because as good as making connections with friends and family can be, and we truly treasure our relationships, we end up feeling like we've missed a vital part of our week if we miss our rest time. I've found over time that I tend to run out of energy by mid-week when we miss our Sunday rest times.

Today was not one of the busy days. In fact, I just got up from a nice long rest and I feel so relaxed and so ready for...well ready for ice cream, actually. Another one of our Sunday traditions is to skip "real food" for dinner and have ice cream. Sometimes it truly is the simple things in life that make it best.

So why was it worth the time and effort to capture and share these thoughts, you may be wondering. Well, I was lying in bed and couldn't help thinking of how many times the bible refers to marriage as a metaphor for God's desire for intimacy with us. Christ as bridegroom, the church as His bride. Intimate.

How is it that we miss that part? I mean, really. How often do you and I really, truly, in the deepest part of ourselves, know the connection and the sense of oneness and wholeness, that comes from a deep intimacy with God? How much more often do just skim the surface in our relationship with God. Satisfied with knowing Him at a distance, and believing that that's all there is or even should be. He is, after all, GOD. How can He possibly have time or interest to waste in pursuing such intimacy with with li'l ol' us'ns?

That's the rub. No honest person can be truly satisfied with such a distant relationship. Oh, it may feel more comfortable to fool yourself into thinking you are in control this way, but the truth is, we need that intimacy with the Spirit of God like we need air, food and water. It is woven into the very fabric of our being. Ted Dekker, in his Circle series, calls it the Great Romance. And that's what it is. God is calling us, wooing us, wanting to lavish His love upon us.

I, for one, am all for this pursuit of the Great Romance. It's what lazy Sunday afternoons have come to represent to my wife and I, and it's what kindles the fire I talked about in my last entry. That passionate, newlywed bliss of a deep, intimate relationship with the One who knows us better than we know ourselves and loves us with a love deeper than the oceans, more vast than the universe. He knows all our flaws, and covers them with grace. He treasures us, cherishes us, holds us and sings His love songs over us. All we need to do is make the time be quiet with Him, resting in His rest, drinking in His peace and soaking up His presence...like a lazy Sunday afternoon.