Elv was listening to a someone on the radio explaining how that we have lost the ability to concentrate due to our busy and varied lives. We sit down to the computer and plan to Bible study, but we check the weather, our blogspot, the news, and our emails on our way to E Sword for study time. My comment to all that is that I think we have become surface people. We say we don't have time to read or create or take a break. We flit from one thing to another unable to settle and make good on any one thing.
Prayer time has even taken a hit these days. We've been made to feel guilty for just sitting and listening to anything...and we've forgotten how to listen to His voice, perhaps?
We have clocks in our bedrooms, our bathrooms, and in our minds. The tick of time has become the march of the boots of work, opportunity, and accomplishment calling us to join. To be able to add up our many accomplishments at the end of the day is better than to be able to say, "I prayed for you today." or, "I heard God's voice today."
How long has it been since you read a book? It's been years since I let the whole day go by just reading a book...I used to do that now and then. Come to think of it, I don't know how to do that anymore. I have allowed guilt to ruin that for me. Someone has labeled such adventures as "escapism".
Didn't Jesus escape? He took whole nights of escape to pray! How long has it been since I took a break from the routine of needful sleep for successful accomplishment to just sit up and read and pray and think late into the night. How is it we are all driven to mind the clock for what? We get to bed so that we can get up and get to work so that we can get home in good time to have supper and get to bed in decent time so that we can get up to ...for what?
I think I'll read a book today.
You go girl! I liked the inspiration to take time to breathe. I've been running hard all week. I needed those thoughts... Shilah
ReplyDeleteNow make sure it's a profitable book....she says in a sing song self righteous voice!!! I'm jealous. I'm taking care of a feverish child and trying not to sew.....
ReplyDeletegood for me to rememeber now...harder to practice...treasuring those moments instead of rushing around -I can at least do that...thanks!!!
ReplyDeleteWell-said, Mrs. Graber. Lisl and I were talking about this last night, after reading this article (online of course!) http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/07/technology/07brain.html?pagewanted=all
ReplyDeleteI happily identify myself as a worker, but even workers need rest and renewal. What I find troubling is that even my prayer time gets broken down into a list of chores, that is people I want to be sure and pray for. And I do want to pray for them but something is missing in this approach nonetheless.
ReplyDeleteI wonder if maybe we even let guilt drive our reading. I have been challenged and blessed more from stories than by proper teaching books. Yet, how do you explain to somebody who asks what you've been reading that you wasted a whole afteroon on a story when you could have been studying? Oh, and I do have a story that deserves to get finished this afternoon.
That sounded a lot like wisdom, Arla! Thanks for sharing. This is an area I'm learning in, and have lots more room to grow.
ReplyDeleteThat article that Dru posted is very sad, and almost unbelievable. It's hard for me to imagine how anyone could be that engulfed in technology. Today, I spent the day reading and not doing anything very profitable, and didn't feel guilty for it. :)
ReplyDelete