A Whole Street of Houses, Stirred With A Spoon

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“ And by this time they were come up to the great iron gates in front of the house; and Tom stared through them at the rhododendrons and azaleas, which were all in flower; and then at the house itself, and wondered how many chimneys there were in it, and how long ago it was built, and what was the man’s name that built it, and whether he got much money for his job? These last were very difficult questions to answer. For Harthover had been built at ninety different times, and in nineteen different styles, and looked as if somebody had built a whole street of houses of every imaginable shape, and then stirred them together with a spoon.” —The Water-Babies, by Charles Kingsley. Ch.1 (1863)

Loosen the Bow

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According to a Greek legend in ancient Athens, a man noticed the great storyteller Aesop playing childish games with some little boys. He laughed and jeered at Aesop asking him why he was wasting his time in such frivolous activity.

Aesop responded by picking up a bow, loosening its string, and placing it on the ground. Then he said to the critical Athenian, “Now answer the riddle if you can. Tell us what the unstrung bow implies.” The man looked at it for several moments but had no idea what point Aesop was trying to make.

Aesop explained, “If you keep a bow always bent, it will break eventually; but, if you let it go slack, it will be more fit for use when you want it.”

People are also like that. That’s why we all need to take time to rest. Jesus prescribed time off for His wearied disciples after they had returned from a prolonged period of ministry. God set a pattern in the Old Testament for us when He “rested from all His work.” (Genesis 2:3)

Keep the 4th Commandment by setting aside a time to be renewed spiritually and relax physically one day out of seven. You will be at your best for the Lord if you have taken time to loosen the bow.

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