THERE is a wonderful poem by William Henry Davies that begins with the words ‘What is this life if, full of care, we have no time to stand and stare’.

It concludes that it is a poor life if we don’t take time to look at the wonders and beauty of God’s glorious creation all around us.

There is a risk, isn’t there, that we make our lives so busy and full that we walk around as if our eyes were closed tight shut. Perhaps in the warmth of the summer sun, we all need to slow things down a bit so that we can find the ‘time to stand and stare’.

That is what the idea of Sabbath, or a day of rest, is all about. In the book of Genesis, it tells us that after creating the world, God looked around and saw that ‘”it was very good”. God didn’t just cease from the busyness of his labour – he stopped and enjoyed what he had made.

We need to stop to enjoy God, to enjoy his creation, to enjoy the fruits of our labour.

It is always good for the soul to take time to stand and stare at the remarkable beauty of the world in which we live.