The land of ten thousand lakes

Actually Minnesota has 11,842 lakes, but I guess that wasn’t catchy enough for our state slogan.

I always forget how much I appreciate the little things about this state. Mostly it is the people: people who are genuinely “Minnesota nice,” who know the difference between going to the lake and going up to the lake, who won’t look at me oddly if I say “Oofda” after a meal, and who actually know how to drive. I love the parks too. My family and I are going up to the North Shore by Lake Superior this coming week for some much-needed vacation. I haven’t been up to the shore in a couple years and am excited about the trip.

But we’ve got a couple days before that. Until then I’ll be pretty busy … my grandma’s 90th birthday party is this weekend and we’ll have relatives in from out of town. I’m still finding time to chill with the people who really matter … my family and I went out for lunch today to celebrate my birthday. I got some sweet presents, including a gun that shoots little plastic ninjas. (That’s right. It shoots ninjas. You don’t know how happy this makes me.)

Yet in the midst of all this, I keep feeling the Holy Spirit’s touch on my heart. I feel like He’s drawing me gently toward prayer and toward resting in Him. I’m tempted to spend all of my time here hanging with my family, shopping, hiking, and playing with the dogs. It would be so easy to neglect the Word and let my heart get cold all in the name of resting. I definitely need a vacation, but there is a right way and a wrong way to rest. I’ve rested the wrong way most of the times I’ve gone home. So though I’m having fun spending time on fun activities and with my family, I want to make sure I am also spending time with Him. He’s the only one who gives true rest.