Mark 6:31 “Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, ‘Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.'”
I thought this type of busyness was a product of modern life, but it happened even to Jesus and the disciples. When you are too busy to eat, you are too busy! Jesus’ answer was to get away; to stop, be still and quiet, to listen. Ruth Haley Barton in her book Sacred Rhythms: Arranging Our Lives for Spiritual Transformation says of silence and solitude:
We choose to unplug not only from the constant stimulation of life in the company of others but also from our own addiction to noise, words and activity. It creates a space for listening to the knowings that go beyond words and feeling no pressure at all to put the depths of the human soul into words (pg 32).
What is the pace of your life saying about what you value? When is the last time you took time to be alone and still in the presence of God? What would that be like? Maybe this is the week to find out.
Don
Logan Memorial Presbyterian Church 