Stop, be still...

We have become too busy and do not take enough time out to pause and just recenter, ground or anchor ourselves. The more we work to have time for ourselves, the less time we seem to have. Compare how fast and efficient things are, e.g. sending letters before the Internet vs email. Are we losing ourselves in this? It is like vanity and grasping for wind as the Book Ecclesiastes says. We are prisoners to this way of life. Are you concerned with 'where the world is going'? Are we missing the important things? The first step in addressing this is to Stop, Pause and becoming still. (Exodus 14:14; Ps 46:10; Matt 11:28) The practice of teatime, going home for lunch, siesta, tea ceremony, and coffee ceremony. (Heb 4:9-10; Matt 6:27) Applying the principle of stopping, pausing and being still: Take time out. Make a good cup of coffee (or tea or cocoa). Sit in a quiet spot. Breathe through your nose and out through your mouth. Relax your muscles starting with your shoulders. Engage all your senses in the moment, starting with smell, taste, feel. Become silent for 5 minutes. Peace. (Philippians 4:6-7; John 14:27) Don't become a dam. Let the water flow, i.e. share what works for you. A second approach could be to have early morning quiet time, especially combining it with prayer (Mark 1:35) Becoming still is fundamental to the restoration of who we are. Life is too short not to have a good cup of coffee.