PACE - PLACE - PERSPECTOVE

PRACTICE: Recall the last time you said, “I need a break.” What did you do about it?

I live in a comfortable home with many of the creature comforts that I think I “need.” But every now and then I feel the intense need to get away from my permanent living space, from my daily grind and the pull and tug of the routines of life. I feel the need to change my place. I need a vacation is my usual interpretation of this feeling. Am I always able to address this feeling immediately and take that vacation? My first answer is “No,” after all I have responsibilities etc. My second thought is “maybe but how,” and the final thought is, “sure I can.”

Let’s deal with change of place first. I live in a very quiet peaceful neighborhood, located in a city that is filled with parks, trails, and nature reserves. A walk or a ten-minute drive can almost instantaneously change my geographical location. Change of pace should be a given outcome of change of place but is often not the case. Change of pace is a physical and mind activity. While intentional about changing the place, I must be equally intentional about directing my thoughts. Work or personal challenges can and must be dismissed for a while to change the pace. If I am walking to change the place, why not observe and take in the sights, and sounds of my surroundings?

Sometimes, change of pace is as simple as drinking the morning cup of coffee at the breakfast table versus slurping in down while sitting in the morning traffic or taking the scenic route to a destination versus the expressway.

Change of place and pace can add up to a change in perspective. I have often gone for a walk to clear my head after struggling with a problem all day or to overcome my urge to get away and returned with a crystallized answer and renewed energy to tackle my world without going on a costly vacation.

Isaiah 40:31

PONDER THIS THOUGHT - CHANGE PACE + CHANGE PLACE = CHANGED PERSPECTIVE