It was only five minutes. But it felt like a long time. Five minutes of silence without any distractions. Five minutes of solitude.
The annual pastors and spouses retreat had brought almost thirty people together at Isaiah Tubbs Resort in Bloomfield. The theme was "Retreat, Refresh and Remain," based on Jesus’ offer of rest to the weary (Matthew 11:28-30) and his challenge to remain in him (John 15:1-16). So there we were, on the second day of the retreat, following these instructions: "Take five minutes of silence to centre yourself before God. Don't do anything. Don't say anything. Just practice being silent in God's presence."
In those moments of silence, I realized again how noisy life is. There's the sound of traffic. The sound of electronic devices. The sound of external voices. And the sound of my own relentless internal voice reminding me of all the things I need to do, all the people I need to see, and all the expectations I need to meet. How difficult it is to set the distractions aside and to just be with the Lord like Martha was when she put her duties on hold and just visited with Jesus!
Those initial minutes of silence flowed into thirty minutes of reflection. As I thought about what Jesus had said to his disciples, I rediscovered the absolute importance of a living relationship with God through Jesus. Without it, I realized, I cannot enjoy real rest or bear the kind of fruit that God wants to see in me.
Did I hear God’s voice in my time of solitude? I did. I heard him invite me to enjoy a closer walk with Jesus one day at a time.
I shared this simple insight with several colleagues in a small group discussion. We agreed that we tended to be too focused on future expectations or adventures to fully appreciate or effectively tackle today.
As a result of this insight, I recommitted myself to starting each day with the Lord in a solitary time of personal devotions. It was a discipline that I enjoyed for many months after my sabbatical. But lately, the pressures of life have gotten in the way. Not good!
I also decided to focus less on doing and more on being. And I encourage Hope Fellowship to make a similar shift. How? By changing the question that churches tend to ask whenever they deal with their vision and mission. Typically we ask, “What kind of things does God want our church to do?” Instead, let’s ask, “What kind of church does God want us be?”
Imagine, if you will, the difference we would make in our families and communities if we would just be the compassionate, hospitable, gracious and helpful people that Jesus calls us to be. What if we could just be there for others as the Lord has always been there for us?
There will always be lots of things to do. In my experience, there’s always another list under the list that I’ve just completed. Doing is not the problem. We’re really good at that. But being silent, available and fully present in the now is an ongoing challenge for most of us. That’s why I have asked Jesus to help me to be more intentional about silently sitting at his feet and focusing on the person and the challenge that is before me right now.
It was only five minutes. But it was just what I needed to recalibrate my relationship with God and re-focus my life.
Is it possible that this is precisely what you also need to enjoy today more?
- Pastor Peter
The annual pastors and spouses retreat had brought almost thirty people together at Isaiah Tubbs Resort in Bloomfield. The theme was "Retreat, Refresh and Remain," based on Jesus’ offer of rest to the weary (Matthew 11:28-30) and his challenge to remain in him (John 15:1-16). So there we were, on the second day of the retreat, following these instructions: "Take five minutes of silence to centre yourself before God. Don't do anything. Don't say anything. Just practice being silent in God's presence."
In those moments of silence, I realized again how noisy life is. There's the sound of traffic. The sound of electronic devices. The sound of external voices. And the sound of my own relentless internal voice reminding me of all the things I need to do, all the people I need to see, and all the expectations I need to meet. How difficult it is to set the distractions aside and to just be with the Lord like Martha was when she put her duties on hold and just visited with Jesus!
Those initial minutes of silence flowed into thirty minutes of reflection. As I thought about what Jesus had said to his disciples, I rediscovered the absolute importance of a living relationship with God through Jesus. Without it, I realized, I cannot enjoy real rest or bear the kind of fruit that God wants to see in me.
Did I hear God’s voice in my time of solitude? I did. I heard him invite me to enjoy a closer walk with Jesus one day at a time.
I shared this simple insight with several colleagues in a small group discussion. We agreed that we tended to be too focused on future expectations or adventures to fully appreciate or effectively tackle today.
As a result of this insight, I recommitted myself to starting each day with the Lord in a solitary time of personal devotions. It was a discipline that I enjoyed for many months after my sabbatical. But lately, the pressures of life have gotten in the way. Not good!
I also decided to focus less on doing and more on being. And I encourage Hope Fellowship to make a similar shift. How? By changing the question that churches tend to ask whenever they deal with their vision and mission. Typically we ask, “What kind of things does God want our church to do?” Instead, let’s ask, “What kind of church does God want us be?”
Imagine, if you will, the difference we would make in our families and communities if we would just be the compassionate, hospitable, gracious and helpful people that Jesus calls us to be. What if we could just be there for others as the Lord has always been there for us?
There will always be lots of things to do. In my experience, there’s always another list under the list that I’ve just completed. Doing is not the problem. We’re really good at that. But being silent, available and fully present in the now is an ongoing challenge for most of us. That’s why I have asked Jesus to help me to be more intentional about silently sitting at his feet and focusing on the person and the challenge that is before me right now.
It was only five minutes. But it was just what I needed to recalibrate my relationship with God and re-focus my life.
Is it possible that this is precisely what you also need to enjoy today more?
- Pastor Peter
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