Makowski Lane

Summer is flying by, and I feel like I am dangling from a rope out the back of an airplane. I’m wind whipped and choking on exhaust fumes. It’s been an exhilarating ride, but I’m not a fan of feeling out of control. Who is with me? I used to think I was a thrill seeker, but as I come careening into fifty this week, I realize that is false. I enjoy my quiet time on the patio and a relaxing float down the river more than almost anything. Just the other day, I had the pleasure of kayaking on a lazy river with a couple of my favorites. One of them asked if we brought any tunes. Heck no! There isn’t a sound sweeter than the flow of the water and the sounds of nature that chirp and hum on the green banks. My brain is so frazzled that even my favorite songs can put me on edge. Have you ever felt like that? I’ve recently had two friends tell me they felt the same.

On my way home from a really long day at work this week, I made a mental note to look for a place to vacation in October. My urge to flee was severe that day, but I knew some things were coming up that I couldn’t avoid. My mindset was that I could endure if I knew I could flee soon. I’m sure I’m the only one who does that. Right?

My go-to response to stressful situations is to flee. However, I think that’s the last thing I need to do right now. What I need to do is sit still. You know that verse, “Be still and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10)? That is what I need to do. Fleeing from all the busyness and stuff just adds more busyness and stuff. It’s hard to deny yourself its usual response to things. So, I needed a free moment of peace to sit back and evaluate my circumstances. Are there things I have heaped on myself that add stress? Are there things that I can remove from the heap? Are there different ways to handle my circumstances that will alleviate the stress? And with all the things I can’t avoid and have no control over, I know the intervention needs to come from God because that Hawaiian vacation I contemplated gave me a whole new pile of grief. Will my bearded brute go? How will we pay for it? What will I wear? I need to lose weight first. Who will watch the dogs? Ugh!

I need a “but God…” moment. Don’t you just love those? I sure do. Thankfully, He gave me one that day on the drive home. I turned up the country road toward my house, and God’s blessing came in ditches strewn with blooming sunflowers. They are so beautiful. I find immense joy that God is the only one who tends them, and they come up year after year. Some sneak up out of the ditches between cracks in the old asphalt. I anxiously wait for the flowers all summer, even though I know they won’t appear until August. Well, it’s August, and I felt like Dorothy on the yellow brick road. My heart lightened, and I wanted to hop out and skip along the yellow-lined road singing. I’m so blessed that no one mows the ditches on that road.

Wild sunflowers altered my mood. When I left work, I had been out of sorts, trying to think of a way to escape my life, but God slowed me down and gave me flowers instead. I love the wild sunflowers and know they won’t last long—every day since I lighten my foot on the gas pedal and linger on Makowski Lane. God reminded me to value slowing down and to appreciate the little things. Even when life is fast and feels out of control, we have moments in our day that could ground us if we allow them. Or rather moments in our day when God can ground us if we would only slow down.

In the winter, it’s easy to hunker down and plan time with God and His Word. It’s less busy and easy to stick with a devotional time. Summer hits me like a freight train, and activities obliterate my devotional time. At first, I tell myself it will only be like that for a week or two. But all of a sudden, it’s the middle of August, and I feel so distant from God that devotional time is all I crave. Time alone with God seems elusive, and I wonder where I will have it. When will I do it? I don’t know why these are even questions to ponder. Take time now, do it wherever you are. God isn’t picky; the time and setting don’t have to be just right. He’s available and willing anytime we come to Him.

So, let’s lean in and let God ground us in His Spirit and minister to us from His Word. Even if we are in the parking lot at work getting ready to head home, spend some time with Him. Or, find your Makowski Lane and linger there.

Lastly, don’t flee if you are like me. Instead, look at the flowers, listen for the hummingbird, feel the silky ears of your dog and enjoy his stinky breath. They are all very simple things, but each is a gift from God. I haven’t mastered the upheaval of emotions that has been chasing me this summer, but God has gotten my attention. Thank you, Lord, for the flowers. I’m going to spend some more time with you. You got my attention like the sunflower that pushed its way through the crack in the asphalt. No matter the circumstances, there is always time for God, and it’s always worth it.