I
recently had a wonderful visit from a dear friend who lives some distance away.
We had arranged to escape from my home,
where not only do I juggle wife and mother duties, but write, and also manage our
business. I knew it would be near to impossible to sufficiently catch up on
each other’s lives if we stayed in my busy environment.
I decided
to book a little cabin at Cape Hillsborough Resort. It wasn’t flash
accommodation, but it was comfortable, and it was right on the beach. It was a
delightful plan, but as I prepared to leave my house, my husband gave me some
more food for my relaxation thoughts.
‘You’ll
never be able to sit around doing nothing. You’ll be completely bored on day
one,’ he said.
‘No
way,’ I thought. This was something I’d desired for so long—a peaceful time
away, with no demands, no stress, no daily grind. For once I could abandon my
periodic complaints about not having enough time to relax. I could be at peace.
After
picking up my friend from the airport, we chatted about how much we were both
looking forward to the break, with nothing to do for two whole days but sit
around, soak up the sun, and catch up.
Upon
arrival at our cabin I busied myself unpacking, organizing bedding, and
generally doing all the household chores I had happily run away from. We toured
the resort then walked on the beach where I found it difficult to merely stroll.
My normal beach walks are brisk—they have to be, so I can fit them into my day.
I caught up with Facebook, and spent some time getting back to business contacts.
What
was I doing! Wasn’t this all about the peace? I made the decision to abandon my
mobile phone.
Day
two started at dawn, like my normal mornings, but this time I was up early to
visit the kangaroos that congregate on the beach. It was beautiful but not very
peaceful, as a gaggle of resort guests had also awoken early for the occasion. The
sleep-in I had mentally planned wasn’t going to happen.
I
happily concurred with my friend’s plan to retire to the beach for the rest of
the morning. I lay in the sun, feeling the heat on my skin and reveling in the
soothing splashes of gentle waves as they broke on the shore. I sighed, pleased
to be in happy sync with the tropical harmony . . . for all of twenty minutes, until
the spark of an idea for a blog post topic forced me to move into the shade of
a rock and grab my tablet to record my thoughts. I emerged from a self-exiled
writing pause two hours later, to find the midday sun had stolen my shade, and
I was slightly red on the side of my leg where the sun had been pounding.
Maybe
my husband had voiced an inconvenient truth. While tossing between opposing
states of vexation and epiphany, I finally admitted I was having great trouble
translating the go-go-go of my day-to-day life into the peace of doing nothing.
At
first, the revelation made me feel guilty. After all, my complaints about not
having enough time to relax and no time to myself now sounded like elaborate whining.
How could I complain, knowing I couldn’t even discipline myself to stop on a
mini-holiday? But soon an entirely new perspective emerged.
I realized
that peace doesn’t necessarily consist of hours spent lolling on a beach. At
least, not for me. Maybe my idea of peace looked more like a conversation with
my husband after a long day’s work, or a good home-cooked meal in the evening,
an early night, and equally early morning at our bush camp. Maybe peace is time
to write after my son and husband are asleep, an office with nothing in the ‘to
do’ tray, the conversational catch-up and communion I had enjoyed with my dear
friend during her stay, and unlimited time to spend with my Father in Heaven.
I
realized that, for me, peace isn’t always about stopping. It’s about enjoying
the moments in everyday life when peace falls upon me.
LORD, you establish peace for us; all
that we have accomplished you have done for us. Isaiah 26:12 (NIV)
I
challenge you, dear reader, to consider the places in your everyday life where
you find peace, and take a few extra moments to revel in them. As Jesus said:
Peace I leave with you; my peace I give
you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be
troubled and do not be afraid. John 14:27 (NIV)
We
will always have the peace Jesus offers. We have only to accept it.
PS; I highly recommend Cape Hillsborough Tourist Park for your next get-away. It's the perfect North Queensland destination for couples, families—young and old. Affordable, but comfortable, and the locals (both human and animal) are so friendly. The beaches, sea, and national park is pretty spectacular too.
Find out more here: https://capehillsboroughresort.com.au/
First Seen in Book Fun Magazine: https://www.bookfun.org/
Rose was born in North
Queensland, Australia. Her childhood experiences growing up in a small beach
community would later provide inspiration for her Resolution series.
Two of the three Resolution
novels have won Australian CALEB awards. She has also released The Greenfield
Legacy, a collaborative novel highlighting the pain of Australia’s past policy
of forced adoption, as well as standalone novel, Ehvah After. Her most recent
release is the novella, A Christmas Resolution.
Her novels are inspired by
the love of her coastal home and her desire to produce stories that point
readers to Jesus. Rose holds a Bachelor of Arts degree, and resides in Mackay,
North Queensland with her husband and son.
Visit Rose at: https://rosedee.com/
Great post Rose. Loved your pictures. So glad you had a relaxed meaningful time away with your friend and even had an epiphany. Peace is so needed in our world today. It's a good thought that peace is not necessarily doing nothing but finding our Peace during our every day life. And yes the Prince of Peace does offer us all we need doesn't He? May we find in Him our peace during our lives through each season. Beautifully written as always. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Anusha. I think we do know peace when we find it. Sometimes it is hard fought, other times it's as simple as finding it where we are at.
DeleteLovely post :D. I still think slowing down is a spiritual discipline we can all benefit from whether we are busy people or not. Like taking time to be still in God’s presence. In a book we are using at church homegroup (can’t remember the title) the author tried this and it took her a year for her to learn to make her mind completely still and rest before God, for just 10 minutes. I’m no good at it either!
ReplyDeleteHi Sue, I'm not much good at stillness either, and it has been a struggle to master even a minute. I thing it would require a lot of practice for me to go 10 minutes. I would consider that to be a real achievement.
DeleteHi Rose, I felt more peaceful just reading this post and looking at your photos. What could be more Australian than kangaroos hanging out on a beach? And you've given us a great reminder to look out for those peaceful moments even on the busiest days.
ReplyDeleteHi Paula, this is a pretty amazing spot. I love visiting it - about 30min from where I live. It is mighty peaceful.
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ReplyDeleteThank you for that wonderful insight, Rose. Such great advice for all of us. Inspiring!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Naomi. It's wonderful to make good use of these photos.
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