Does this describe you?
From the beginning of The Power of Full Engagement:
“We live in digital time. Our rhythms are rushed, rapid fire and relelntless, our days carved up into bits and bytes. We celebrate breadth not depth, quick reaction more than considered reflection. We skim across the surface, alighting for brief moments at dozens of destinations but rarely remaining long at any one. We race through out liveswithout pausing to consider who we really want to be or where we really want to go. We’re wired up but we’re melting down.” (p.3)
When i read that I was instantly struck by similarities to another book’s opening that I deeply love, Celebration of Discipline by Richard Foster. One of the original philosophers, I think it was Aristotle, said “The unexamined life is not worth living.” I am at a time of deeply examining my life. I am at the time some describe as “Half-time,” that critical juncture where men (mostly) have meltdowns (aka mid-life crisis) and start realizing they are crossing the threshold of less life in front of them than behind them. It’s that season when questions arise of what have done with my life? and more positively what am I going to do with the rest of it? So that’s where I am. And the only way I’m going to get through this season is via reflection and rest… the very things I don’t want to do! Medicine rarely tastes good…
How do you slow down to hear the still small voice? What rituals fuel reflection? For me I’m doing one of them right now: writing. Writing slows me down and forces me to think along one line without mindlessly jumping too much from thought to thought, topic to topic. Another good time for me alone time in a car or a motorcycle. The rhythmic turning of the wheels is like a mobile meditation soundtrack.
It might…can’t tell
Now I can see it! I’m at a similar place (52 yrs old.) and facing similar issues with time (Three nearly full-time jobs and taking 15 hours of college). My doses of sanity/serenity comes from 1. making myself (Ashamed to say so) pause to pray the hours in a personalized/abbreviated format (http://mikesnavigatio.blogspot.com/), 2. Surfing by myself or with a few friends — something about being in the water before the sun comes up is calming, and 3) Moving away from “paid professional ministry.” This has been a major source of hurriedness for me. I want to get to the place where I can actually seek to be the presence of Christ to those around me instead of just keeping the machine running. That’s what I’m back in school about — part of the problem is part of the solution — I’m trying to finish a Psych degree. I’d like to be a part of the Spiritual Direction groups that DAve does but time and distance don’t allow it right now. I’m looking for other ways to approach this closer to where I live. I probably need a lot more slowing down before I seek to provide spiritual direction for anyone.
One of the benefits of being connected with a mainline church is that our sanctuary rocks old school. First, it’s an old Episcopal church that we baptists bought, so it’s got great wood and an intimate vibe to it. But when you sit in the center section you look up into a stain glass window of Jesus with his hands and arms open, as if to say: “do you need a hug?” When I need to decompress, to slow, to pray with some real honesty and emotion, that’s where I go. Why I don’t do that everyday is a reflection of my brokenness and stubborn belief I can make my own way. Stupid, but then… Anyway, my friend, that’s what I do to kick it down a notch or two. peace