Relaxing on the porch

The LORD is your shade (Psalm 121:5).

When I sit on my porch, smelling fresh green things and feeling the warm breeze on my skin, my mind drifts back to the porch at my grandparents’ house when I was little. It was on that porch that we would grill bratwurst and hamburgers and eat picnic meals. It was on that porch that Dad and Grandpa and I would watch lightning dance in the clouds and enjoy the smell of the rain pouring off the roof. My mind also drifts back to the porch on my parent’s home when I was visiting with a family of my own; it was on that porch that I could just sit and relax, the frustrations of life back home temporarily set aside. It was on that porch that Father would share stories with me that I had never heard before, stories a parent saves until the child has grown up. Sitting on my porch brings back many fond memories.

What can you learn from sitting on a porch? I have learned that a porch has no television, no telephone, no radio, no clock—and that is a good thing. On a porch, there is no hurry; you can relax and be soothed by the beauty of nature. A porch permits you to enjoy the sun without getting burned; it allows you privacy, yet doesn’t isolate you in a closed-up room. A porch is also a place for family to gather for meals and simply enjoy each other. And I have learned that a porch is a great place from which to watch thunderstorms; you can see the lightning, feel the thunder, and smell the rain, all without risking your health.

I imagine that heaven must be like the grandest porch ever. No frustrations, no deadlines or pressure—a place where we can relax and enjoy the existence that God has given us. Like a porch, heaven will be a place for family, because Jesus says that we are His brothers and sisters (Matthew 12:50), and He has taught us to pray to His Father as our Father (Matthew 6:9). Like a porch, heaven will be a place of eating together and enjoying each other’s company—in fact, the Bible often speaks of paradise as a large festive meal. Like a porch, heaven will be an intimate place where we will get to know God better, where He will explain things we were too immature to understand before. And like a porch, heaven will be a place of shelter where there is no discomfort, never a moment’s worry or concern. Even in the stormiest weather, I never for a moment felt afraid while with my father and grandfather on the porch, and I know that I’ll never be afraid in heaven in the company of Jesus and His Father.