With all that you have on your ‘to do’ list today, how do you expect to get it all done? Maybe you never get everything done that you want, but just take care of the important things, or more likely the pressing things that are near or past due. How often do you take a few minutes to rest from your work, both physically and mentally, to listen to what God is saying to you? If you are anything like me, it is not often enough. Like most people, our default is to just keep pressing forward to get as much done as we can with the occasional distraction of something new we need to add to the list. Taking 5 to 50 minutes to rest and refocus is not often on that list.
But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed. Luke 5:16
Last week, as I as traveling between appointments, I had a small break in my afternoon that I took to park at the head of a trail near a city park. I had a small snack, then decided to take a few minutes to take a walk. This was not a new trail to me, but it was cool out with a brisk wind and I didn’t think I would be gone long. I walked down the trail for about a minute and saw a deer about 50 yards down stopped in its tracks, just watching me. I kept walking at a slightly slower, steady pace, just to see how close I could get. Just about 25 yards away, it took off, and I laughed. I laughed at how busy my day had been and how little it took to get me to take a deep breath and enjoy the world around me. I continued on the ¼ mile loop and saw no less than 10 more deer which were gathered in the sunny valley out of the wind, and I had been the intruder which disrupted their party. This whole time, my appreciation for God’s hand in the little woods around me and for all His creation grew with each step. I was also able to speak and pray openly with Him in a way that I had not planned 10 minutes earlier. It was a short, but good break, one that I really needed, but infrequently take.
So, how often do you make time to take time away from your busy life and mind to listen to God? I’ve tried to take quiet times to listen, and often find it takes 5-10 minutes just to quiet my mind even after I eliminate all the other distractions. There are so many things around us to take our attention away from what we need, that we do not even notice most of the time. For me, I best hear from Him in the middle of the night, or early morning when I turn my attention away from myself and just try to hear what He is saying. How about you? If you haven’t done so lately, go on a walk and visit with Him. If Jesus made time to talk with his Father, how much more do we need to do the same?
Yours in Christ,
Clark
