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One thing we’ve learned about living in London is our perception about the weather wasn’t accurate.

Oh I know what you’re thinking. We probably weren’t realistic about the rainfall and cloud cover; the amount of cold, windy days when the sun is shining everywhere else.

Well, you would be wrong about that.

The weather is the talk of the town, no matter what the news tells you.

Today’s forecast is like a woman in her favorite store trying to decide which dress to pick from the five she is holding up. Or a child who says he’s going to play outside and then becomes distracted by the toys in his room on the way out.

The weather in England is a highly changeable mind; a mood you cannot predict.

When the sky is a gray bowl of cloud cover as the alarm goes off, close your eyes like Dorothy and click your ruby slippers a few times. The sun will appear and the wind calm to a whisper. Listen to the birds tell you when it is safe to come out and play for a while.

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Like these beautiful white roses growing from the rooftop outside my second floor window, just out of reach, sometimes Sabbath involves relinquishing control over the things you can do nothing about.

When you are tempted to equate the beauty of life with usefulness, it is time to release your grasp on preferred outcomes and enjoy walking in the rain just because God created it.

Rain or shine this weekend, may your rest be a divine relinquishment; a road paved with His golden fingerprints.

Happy Sabbath Friends!

The irony: I took these photos this morning but while I was writing this, the sun was shining bright. Before I had a chance to capture those roses in sunlight to make my point, the rain descended once again and then stopped long enough to open my window and snap. Truth. The weather is never bored in England.

Want to make rest a routine, not just something you fill in between the cracks of your busyness? Join the Sabbath Society. Follow Sabbath-keepers in community with the hashtag #sabbathsociety on Twitter and Instagram and our Pinterest board, Surrendering to Sabbath.