Able to relax?.....

A delightful, playful story about the evangelist John: "They say that St John the Apostle liked to play with his pet sparrow from time to time. One day a hunter came to visit him and was surprised to see such a famous man playing. He surely could have used that time doing something good and important. So he asked the saint: 'Why do you waste your time playing? Why do you devote your time to such a useless sparrow?'

John looked at him in surprise. Why shouldn't he play? Why did someone like a hunter not understand that? So he asked him, 'Why is the string on your bow not tight?'

'It's not done; you cannot keep the bowstring tight all the time, otherwise the bow would lose its tension and become useless for shooting arrows.'

John then told the young man, 'My friend, just as you always release the tension on your bowstring, so you must release the tension inside of you and relax. If I don't relax and just play, I would have no strength for any great undertaking. I would not even have the strength to do what i have to and what is necessary and demands my complete attention."

A good reminder as I move into the new year......