Tuesday, July 21, 2009

A Poem for the Busy and the Hurried

We have spent some time this week in class talking about the Biblical idea of Sabbath that God gives to Israel. He invites them into the same cycle of work and then rest that he exhibited in creating the world. This idea- of taking a whole day to quit doing and just be- is largely lost in our society, even in religious circles. It seems out of touch and like a big waste of time.

I can't help but think, though, that in our hurried and frenzied pace we have lost something. We have lost sight of who we are- not human doings, but human beings. This poem was a good reminder to me to slow down. To take time and let go of all that I hold on to and think I control.

Gentle me,
Holy one,
into an unclenched moment,
a deep breath,
a letting go
of heavy expectancies,
of shriveling anxieties,
of dead certainties,
that, softened by the silence,
surrounded by the light,
and open to the mystery,
I may be found by wholeness,
upheld by the unfathomable,
entranced by the simple
and filled with joy
that is you.

Ted Loder, Guerrillas of Grace

May your journey be marked not by the speed at which you rush through life, but by the quality of life you are taking time to live...

Nick

PS- In our series at East Hills on spiritual practices, we're talking about Sabbath this weekend! I hope you'll join the rest of the crew there...


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