The Bluegrass Country around Lexington, KY., not far
from where I live in Lebanon, KY., is home to some of the finest racehorses.
It’s exciting to watch the horses bolt from the starting gate as the sound of
their hooves thunders across the track.
That’s the picture I have of so many people at the
start of Christmas season. Facing a flurry of activities on the way to what
appears to be the finish line on December 25, they race until they practically
fall flat, exhausted from trying to live up to the demands of the season.
I don’t think it is meant to be that way, do you?
We may not be able to change the consumer driven
culture that seems intent on spurring us into a hyperventilating gallop during
this time of year, but we can face it with a sense of peace. Instead of racing
like a horse, try distancing yourself from the track and maintaining a larger,
spiritual perspective. After all, it is Christmas.
It’s the season of Advent. The word means “coming”
or “arrival.” Christians look back and celebrate the incarnation of Christ as
he came to us the first time even as they look forward to his second coming. We
live in this “in between” time. As Bernard of Clairvaux said: “In his first
coming our Lord came in our flesh and in our weakness; in this middle coming he
comes in spirit and in power; in the final coming he will be seen in glory and
majesty.”
What can we do to experience more of him during this
“in between” time? Let me suggest something very simple yet something so
dynamic it will change your life: Begin and end your day with some quiet time, allowing
yourself a moment to repose and reflect as you give your spirit some growing
space.
It’s as simple as that. I find that too many people
get so caught up with their “to do” list that they leave out the most important
“do,” spending time alone with the Lord.
I've learned by hard experience that if I leave out
this time, my attitude takes on more of the world and less of the Lord. I tend
to forget whose I am, and if I keep on neglecting time with him, I lose the
spiritual perspective so necessary to keep on course. I race around and around
the track, accomplishing little of true significance, reaping mainly frustration
and exhaustion.
During Advent, Lori and I have been starting the day
with prayer and meditation. Then we read
the Scriptures for Advent found in The Book of Common Prayer. There are
passages there for morning and evening. We talk briefly about them, share readings
from several devotional books, and then conclude with prayer.
Christmas can be a challenging time for all of us,
especially those who have suffered loss and are lonely. Beginning the day with
solitude can help alleviate feelings of despair, keeping us in touch with an
eternal source of comfort, reminding us that though we may experience
loneliness, we are not abandoned: The one whose birthday we celebrate this
season does care.
How we begin the day helps set our attitude for the rest
of the day. Jacquelyn Smith (businessinsider.com) observes that successful people
have a habit of starting their day in certain ways: They reflect, building in
quiet time and solitude first thing the morning, pausing to be present before
tackling the workday.
Successful people have also incorporated the routine
of smiling and laughing at the beginning of the day.
And they begin
the day with gratitude. "A great way that successful people start their
day is to identify something they're grateful for,” notes Lynn Taylor, national
work place expert. “It’s motivational and reminds them to put small things in
perspective.”
I
begin the day using one of Zen Master, Thich Nhat Hanh’s mantras: “Waking up this
morning, I smile. Twenty-four brand new hours are before me. I vow to live
fully in each moment and to look at all beings with eyes of compassion.”
The point is, find something---a book of Scripture
readings, devotional material, perhaps uplifting music---that you can use at
the day’s beginning and end, for how
we conclude the day prepares us for the next morning.
Then you will arrive at Christmas not like a spent
race horse but like the people Isaiah describes in the Scripture, the ones who
trust in the Lord, the ones who “soar high on wings like eagles,” the ones who
run and do not grow weary, who walk and do not faint. (Isaiah 40:31)
No comments:
Post a Comment