What occupies your thinking today?

Are there things that make you unhappy?

Does life sometimes, possibly all the time, seem out of control?

One more…do you feel that your problems will never go away?

Parents…do you have children with fears? Then read on…this is for you. Use it as help to conquer your child’s worry…

Leave your worries, turn 180 degrees. Go the opposite direction.

Walk away from the burdens, the worries, the heart ache, even the sorrow which seems overwhelming right now…it will cost you something. You already have it: your time. It will also require you to make one change in your daily routine. You need to be willing to go outside. Just two things then, your time and going outside.

Ready?

Read these instructions first:

1.       Prepare to go outside. If you live in cold climates and its winter-you know what to do. If you are in a warm climate-you know what to do.

2.       Before you go outside think of a safe place where you can lay on your back. Yes, I said, “lay on your back.” Young or old, lay on your back. If you are older, get someone to do this with you-they can help you lay down. We call this a “Lay Back.” Back yards are good spots…

3.       Doing this with someone is optional.

4.       Remember this for when you are on your back: Do two things-first lay on your back with your eyes closed. How long you ask? Leave them closed until you hear silence. (Block out human sounds.) Second thing: Open your eyes. Look up as far as you can see. Cloudy days are good for this too. Decide what color the sky is.

5.       Stay as long as you feel comfortable.  Fall asleep if you feel inclined.

6.       Come back and read the rest of this message for you from me. (I can’t stop you from reading the whole message first if you wish…sequence does not matter here.)

This is the back story. Here is what you can expect…

I have the privilege of being a substitute teacher. I used to be a teacher, then I got old and retired. Now I substitute a day or two each month. This month it has been 3 days. I substitute in a school where children and teachers use a natural area of prairie and wetlands for a classroom. They organize inside the 4 walls of a traditional classroom, then transition to the outdoors. Learning happens there.

The 3 days of subbing this month occurred in 4 days. Two days in a row, a day off, then the 3rd day.

We tend to repeat things that are successful. Teachers are no exception. You should see children ages 10 and 11 do “Lay Backs.” I help them enjoy them by walking them a distance first. Laying down feels better when you want a little rest. You should see 25 children and their teacher on their backs. In snow. On the ice of a wetland. In below zero temperatures…on our backs. I did lay backs with all three classes.

You are thinking…this is a waste of time. They should be reading in a text book. They should be solving math problems.

Consider these:

1.       A “lay back” enables every child, every adult to recognize the truth. Learning is meaningless without truth.

2.       Truth: God is Creator of all things.

3.       Perhaps equally important: a lay back produces peace. No human mind, child or adult can learn without peace in their mind.

4.       The peace of God is found outside.

But, don’t take my word for it…children speak truth with greater power than most adults. This week, in three days, working with three classrooms of students, my eyes witnessed the response of these children to a lay back. All three groups were quiet. Can you imagine that? 25 children outside, not one moves, no one makes a sound. They all lay still long enough to hear silence.

Do you know what many of them write when asked to reflect on their lay backs? They speak about the silence. At least 2 in each class identify the best thing about a lay back is silence and peace. It is not coincidence. One of the girls wrote, “…then you get that feeling that I can’t personally write down, but trust me you’ll feel it.” I never tell them to listen for peace. They feel it. They express it.

In the silence, peace comes. Just from taking time to lay on your back, and be still.

If God is Creator of all that is seen and unseen outside, then it is logical that God is present in creation. Do you want peace? God has put His peace in all of creation…go outside and do a “lay back.” Like the 5th grade girl said, “you’ll feel it.”