Enjoy Your Summer With Sayings of the Desert Fathers

If you want to enjoy your summer and put a little more holy in your daily, read some of the sayings of the Desert Fathers. These men traded populated areas for the solitude of the wilderness during the early years of Christianity. They left us their wisdom of the desert. This is one of my favorites:

Once Abbot Anthony was conversing with some brethren, and a hunter who was after game in the wilderness came upon them. He saw Abbot Anthony and the brothers enjoying themselves, and disapproved. Abbot Anthony said: “Put an arrow in your bow and shoot it.”This he did.“Now shoot another,” said the Elder. “And another, and another.”Then the hunter said: “If I bend my bow all the time it will break.”Abbot Anthony replied: “So it is also in the work of God. If we push ourselves beyond measure, the brethren will soon collapse. It is right therefore, from time to time, to relax.”

I’m taking that advice to heart and heading to Finland next Sunday for the wedding of our middle son, Jonathan. I plan to rest, laugh, explore Helsinki, and stay in a summer cottage in the countryside. And yes, I have scheduled posts for while I am gone, but if I don’t respond to your comments, you’ll know why—I’m taking a break.What are you doing to enjoy your summer? How are you taking a break to relax? What part of that break are you looking forward to the most? I’d love to hear about it.

In Him together, Susan Gaddis