It was one of those days that don't often come my way. I was out sitting on the porch with my 1st cup of coffee for the day.

Today was special. The Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage, her daughter and granddaughter went to St. Augustine for spring break. They would be gone for about three days.

In the meantime, I was here but not alone; I did have my cup of coffee. What more could anyone ask for?

What would the world be like without a nice, fresh, hot cup of coffee in the morning? I don't know, I've never had such a day.

I had no agenda for the day. I finished my latest book and sent it to the publisher. I was also caught up on my radio ministry and syndicated weekly newspaper column.

Everything was up to date, and I had nothing on my schedule.

I don't know anybody who can do "nothing" as well as me. And I say that unanimously.

Unlike The Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage, who has no idea what doing nothing is. As long as I have known her, there has never been a day she has done nothing.

She usually does something in her craft room when she has nothing to do. Even when she is sleeping, I think she dreams about doing something. Believe me, I have never asked. Some things are better not to know.

The one area where I outshine The Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage is my talent for doing nothing. When I don't have a project, I grab a cup of coffee, go to the porch, and think about nothing. Staring into space has become my hobby.

While drinking my coffee that day, I noticed a large lizard climbing up the screen on our porch. I watched it for a little while, then it stopped, looked at me with a quizzical look which said, "Who are you?"

I just stared and suddenly stuck out my tongue, and the lizard disappeared faster than anything I'd ever seen. I now have another productive use for my tongue.

Sure, there were a lot of things I could be doing. I could sit in my office all day and work on future projects down the road. I could work in my library, getting caught up on reading. There were 1,001 things I could be doing instead of sitting on the porch doing nothing but drinking coffee.

I can't remember the last time I didn't have to do anything. But I wasn't going to spend any time trying to remember. I was going to spend all my time doing nothing. I will have nothing to show for doing nothing. And I like that.

When younger, I thought it was terrible not to be busy all the time, and I fulfilled that expectation to a great degree.

I thought if you weren't doing something, you were being lazy. But looking back, I ask myself, “What's wrong with being lazy?"

I'm in my 70s, but I don't have to live like I was back in the 70s.

Sitting on the porch in my rocking chair I felt so wonderful not doing anything.

If I were The Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage, I'd sit here thinking of things to do once my coffee cup was empty.

I must confess that she is excellent at doing anything and everything. She far outshines me in that department. But, on the other hand, I far outshine her in doing nothing.

After sitting there for a while, I began to think of what I could do for the rest of the day, and the list began to grow.

Suddenly, I said, "You're not going to do anything today. This is your to do nothing day."

I often don't listen to myself, but this was the best time to start. If I have nothing to do, then at the end of the day, I have done nothing; I have at least succeeded in my day's expectation. What kind of reward comes with that? (An Apple Fritter?)

One great thing about doing nothing is that you don't have to stress about doing nothing at the end of the day. I usually try to figure out what more I could've done that day. What a waste of time.

I took another sip of coffee, sat back, took a deep breath, and appreciated my state, which has no governor, so I don't have to respond to anybody. Oh, how I love doing nothing.

Giving my brain a day off is usually a good thing. At my age, I need to respect my brain's activity and slow it down as much as possible.

I was beginning to feel a little guilty. Is this OK with God? Is God OK with me doing nothing for a day?

While pondering this, I read a verse of Scripture. “There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God. For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his” (Hebrews 4:9-10).

Sometimes, I think I need to work to impress God. In this regard, my activity is more important than stopping everything and simply resting in God's grace and mercy.

As I finished my coffee, I thought about what it would be like for me to simply enter into God’s rest.

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