Blue Sky Thinking

Blue Sky Thinking

Ephesians 4:31 - 

Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as Christ God forgave you.

When out walking I often lie flat, on a grassy spot and look up at the sky. We take what's directly above for granted; it is not in our eyeline. It takes effort to look up. You know what? It means that you really have to lie back, and let go physically, relaxing everything that is tense. Letting go mentally takes a little longer; but gradually you can release yourself from stress, oppressive ideas, and worries about the future. Is it something to do with our culture in the west? The idea, that sitting or lying on bare earth, is a risk too high to take: too unclean and spontaneous, for a modern adult. Are we mere human magnets for germs, earwigs and small things that cling? Such unplanned events have no business in our stringently clean lives, with houses scoured with cleaning products. Make no mistake though; I do check where I am sitting first, to avoid the rabbit droppings and such like. It does however, take courage, to have time out, and stop being busy. Living in a modern society, we lose our connection to what is obvious and natural. Do we lose the simplicity of who we are? : lost in a maze of man made confusion. Lying down is risky; like the showing of a soft white underbelly, in the animal world. It can leave you vulnerable to an approaching stranger, who could dial 999, perform CPR or take you for idiot, it's just unBritish. 

Ephesians 5:2

and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to god.

But ... on a sunny day with the sound of a skylark nearby, the peace absorbs into you, like litmus paper, when dipped into an alkaline solution: it changes your perceptions from acidic red to alkaline blue. The thrill of looking into a blue sky is like refocusing yourself through a new perspective. How small are we in the scheme of things? How vast the breadth and beauty of nature? It caresses all the senses - the warmth of the sun on your skin, the smell of grassiness, the buzz of a bee, all experienced whilst gazing into the ocean in reverse. Now, when laid bare emotionally before God: What does He see? He sees a person that He is in love with. He says let me take those burdens from you. Just be. Stay in my presence for a little while. 

Ephesians 3:16-18

I pray that out of the glorious riches he may strengthen you with power, through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ.

As you give up your struggle, you see all the ways in which your life has been blessed and a wellspring of praise rises up in you, like the poles of two magnets aligned together; a powerful force, then interaction and a mutual attraction. What a gift to enjoy!