Taking Time Out for God
A few years ago Steve and I were enjoying a vacation in Europe with another couple. Our first stop was Paris, which is a bustling whirl of activity day and night. We filled every moment of our four days there.
On the fifth morning, we headed for Switzerland. Our bed-and-breakfast near Geneva overlooked the lake.
We oohed and aahed at the sight of such peaceful surroundings after the hustle of Paris. But sighs of delight had barely escaped my lips when I shifted gears. “I’m off!” I announced.
It was around 1:00 P.M. when I walked expectantly down the hill and toward the main street of the town. I noticed that the streets were relatively deserted.
A sign on the door of the first shop I approached explained the lack of foot traffic: “Closed from noon until three.”
I tried the doorknob anyway, but it was locked. I jiggled it as if there were some mistake. Frustrated, I went to the next shop.
The same sign in the store window was embroidered in needlepoint, but I didn’t appreciate the artistic touch.
I walked back to the hotel to snatch Steve from whatever cozy chair he had settled into, only to find him in our room asleep. Our friends were nowhere to be found, and I could only assume that they, too, were resting.
I didn’t want to sleep! I didn’t want to read! I wanted to be out and about, doing something!
With an irritated sigh, I finally sat in one of the chairs in the library off to the left of the entrance to the B and B. I put my feet up on an ottoman and laid my head back.
One of my favorite Rachmaninoff melodies was lilting from the CD player. I realized that the stillness was pleasant. The tension in my body began to drain away.
The breeze from the lake drifted through the open French doors and carried with it the scent of lilac. Why don’t I do this more often? I asked myself.
There was an almost audible response: You are addicted to busyness.
Virtually everyone I know struggles with the curse of busyness. We live in a culture that thrives on action, always moving, doing more, and accomplishing more.
It’s no wonder that God sometimes seems far away or difficult to understand. Our minds are so full of many thoughts about our busy schedules that we miss his still, small voice.
My afternoon in Switzerland showed me how refreshed I could be if I just paced myself with time to be in God’s presence.
It’s still a challenge, but now I have more stillness in my life than I did before.
Father, help us to experience the peaceful fullness of resting in your presence.