This weekend was great is so many ways.
Not only was the weather unbelievably beautiful, but an open schedule allowed us to simply enjoy life. Friday and Saturday were a bit hazy due to a nearby forest fire, but the temperature was perfect for yard work, so Toby and I spent the evenings building our fence, prepping the lawn and cleaning flower beds.
By Sunday morning, our church gathering was already experiencing the typical Alaskan “summer slump”; with six months of winter behind us, people are so excited for great weather, that they literally spend all summer outside: hiking, fishing, camping, biking, kayaking, hunting, etc. Even so, we still had a full living room and great conversation about the values of God. We discussed the concept that the two most important foundations in scripture are first, to love God with no holds barred, and second, to truly love others like we would ourselves. While this seems elementary and assumed, scripture says that every commandment and concept in the Bible falls within these two categories. This simple understanding of how God sees the world should mandate how we treat God, those around us, and ourselves. It is so easy to place rules and guidelines as the identifying factors of who loves God, who is striving to be like Him, or who we identify with. Do they do this, or line up with that? But God simply asks, “Do you love me? Do you love them?”
There are guidelines in scripture that are important and have been set in place to help us live healthy and whole lives. But these principles are all founded upon maintaining proper relationships with God and others; if these guidelines are followed and the relationships are not tended – the guidelines mean nothing and our adherence to them is empty. Do we love Him? Do we love them? That’s the bottom line. That's the beginning and ending of everything.
After church, Toby loaded up the boat and canoe and headed off to the family cabin on Long Lake with four guys from our group, John, Matt, Craig, and Tony. All Sunday and Monday, they fished, swam, talked, and just hung out.
Enjoying this bit of freedom, I stayed home, worked in my yard, read, and wrote to my heart’s content. The next day I celebrated our nation’s freedom by playing with Abbey and enjoying the traditional Memorial Day grilled tuna and spinach salad.
It was a beautiful weekend – in every way.
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