Slowing Down, Being Still
/We sang Be Still and Know this past Sunday in worship. As I think about Valentine’s Day coming up this week and the privilege I had of attending a Steve Bell retreat last Friday and Saturday, I realize that I need to write about slowing down and paying attention.
The retreat was conscious time set aside. I purposely didn’t bring my laptop and didn’t access the internet for over 24 hours. Shocking but true. And I don’t have a data plan on my phone either. It was a relief to have some time away, hosted by a wonderful friend, and to talk until midnight about anything and everything. It is so true that when we slow down and turn off the constant stimulation we can start to see what is really important.
Part of the content of the retreat was about our approach to leading worship and how our planning and intentionality till the soil for people to have an encounter with God, bridging the distance between us and the divine. As I led worship this past Sunday I was more aware of the parts where I tend to rush and don’t allow for the Spirit to breathe in between my words and the next thing in the bulletin.
As a Christian educator leading programs and teaching, I often had the same problem. We are conditioned in life to be constantly striving, taking in more and more information, to be more efficient and to do more and better. We struggle with patience, with silence, with leaving spaces for God to speak, and letting our perception that people are expecting each moment to be filled with something magic and stimulating drive our pacing so that we don’t run the risk of being boring.
No wonder we are so anxious as a species. No wonder we struggle to make decisions and to reflect honestly and deeply. No wonder relationships are strained and tensions build in families when we all are impatient and racing to the next thing and not seeing each other or inviting God into the conversation. Leading people into calm and quiet is often the greatest gift we can give in their hectic, stressful lives.
I was going to wait until Len to write about this, because this upcoming season of the Church Year is often a time to re-centre, to re-focus and remember as we prepare our hearts, minds and souls for the events of Holy Week. But after being at the retreat, and looking ahead to Valentine’s Day, it seemed appropriate to mention it now. We are heading into a time of celebrating love with family, spouses, partners and friends. Too often it becomes a day that we realize we ‘have to’ do something for someone else and race to the store or hastily decide on dinner and a movie as we try to fit in some time with someone. Rarely do we bring God and God’s immense love for us into the equation. God is love, and so everything and everyone we celebrate this Thursday is because of God.
The challenge is to attempt in the next few days to prepare to make this day celebrating love and God’s gifts truly meaningful. Take a few moments to be still, to slow down and breathe deeply. Offer a prayer of gratitude for the life God has given you, perhaps asking God to help you to love yourself more as one who is wonderfully and awesomely made. Thank God for the people in your life who have come from God’s immense creativity and overflowing joy, particularly those you have the privilege of serving in the church. Thank God for what these people bring to you, whether colleagues, friends or family, for how they help you and challenge you and make you feel grounded and cared about. Thank God for being the source of all love.
As you decide how to celebrate with those closest to you and to appreciate the love that God has brought into your life, don’t forget that words are powerful. The time we take and the real connection we make is more important than the chocolates or flowers. Let God infuse your celebration and offer back to God thanks for the blessing of the people you can share life and love with in a world that needs to see more kindness and self-sacrifice and care.