Last year I got a hammock – I’d seen people with these nylon hammocks that you can hang between two trees but I’d never tried one. I didn’t know if I was capable of making knots that would hold me and pictured myself falling to the ground. Well, I discovered that you don’t have to tie any knots and they are quite easy to hang. Now “hammocking” is one of the most restorative things that I do.
Lying in the hammock looking up at a patchwork of green leaves beneath a blue sky is a way to escape time. To set aside to-do lists and busyness. To forget about responsibilities and to just be. To take in God’s creation and to be a part of it. To enjoy the warmth of sunshine, a slight breeze, the songs of birds, and the croaking of frogs. To be part of God’s creation. To quiet yourself. To be.
I encourage you to read Psalm 46:10 slowly, pausing between each phrase:
Be still and know that I am God.
Be still and know that I am.
Be still and know.
Be still.
Be.