The air was cold for a late August morning. The sky was just starting to lose its star-freckled darkness as the light of the sun that was still hidden behind the Ozark foothills began to illuminate the morning. Thick wisps of mist floated up off the lake giving the scene an eery appearance as we left shore and began our journey to the fishy coves and rock bluffs of Lake of the Ozarks. The morning stillness, interrupted only by the high-pitched hum of the 250 HP motor, gave the entire scene an ethereal quality.
This was the way that I started each morning at our Men's Retreat last week, a couple hours of peaceful tranquility with a couple of our men before breakfast and the sessions of the day. I am not that much of an outdoorsman. I love to fish and hunt, but just haven't taken the opportunity to do it very much. This retreat gave me the chance to get out there with a couple of patient young guys who showed me the ropes a little bit and we had a great time of fellowship together. I enjoyed the playful, competitive banter and the stories of their lives, but I think the thing that I enjoyed the most was the quiet peacefulness of the whole thing.
One of the songs that the praise band sang at the retreat was a rendition of the old Eagles' song, Peaceful, Easy Feelin' that had been merged with Amazing Grace and adapted a little bit on the chorus. It really is a beautiful song and it expressed the way that I felt each morning out on that lake. My everyday life is a little bit frantic on occasion. It seems that I never have quite enough time to get everything done that I am trying to accomplish, so I run to and fro and sometimes get a little frustrated. But this weekend, the thought came to me. In the Gospels, I never see Jesus running anywhere and yet the Bible tells us that He fulfilled everything that His Father sent Him to do. He never seemed rushed or stressed.
I'm sure that Brent and James would tell me that I just ought to go fishing more often, and they might be right, but more likely the Lord is trying to get me to listen to the Apostle Paul in Phillippians 4:4-9. Rejoice! Don't worry. Pray. Be thankful. Let God keep your heart and mind at peace. Choose your thoughts wisely and follow the example of godly men and women that your Father has placed in your life. The result will be a peaceful easy feeling that is beyond our human understanding.
It doesn't hurt to close your eyes every once in a while and find yourself skimming across that water, through the mist in the dawn's early light. Just be sure you make it back for breakfast. :0)
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