“Be still and know that I am God.” – Psalm 46:10 (NIV)
Multi-tasker. If I had to pick one catch phrase for the average 21st century citizen, that would be it. I read an article online that described how world-renowned concert violinist Joshua Bell went incognito and gave an impromptu concert in a Washington, D.C. metro station. He was dressed as a man down on his luck, and he had his violin case opened and set on the floor in front of him. (Ironically, tickets to his concerts apparently average $100!) The sad part of the social experiment was that people hardly took note of him, due to the environment. The metro station was simply a place they were passing through, so the thought of focusing long enough to hear a single song was not on the commuters’ minds. The people who took most note? Children! They noticed something out of the ordinary that piqued their interest.
If we’re not careful, the world can become our commuter station, and our full-throttle mindsets can rob us of precious moments of peace and communion with God. Too much go and not enough stop leads to stress, anxiety and burnout. Perhaps we just don’t value peace and quiet enough.
One fact of time-management is this: we don’t “find” time to do the things we love; we make time to do them. Today’s exercise is about taking a time out from the ordinary rush for a few minutes of creative rest.
You will need a quiet place, a pen and paper (no laptops for this one!), and 10 minutes of uninterrupted solitude.
Choose a peaceful place and reflect on it. It could be a physical public place or a personal place (like someone’s home). It could be a favorite place that holds a specific memory or somewhere where you feel relaxed. It could even be your imagined favorite place.
Where is it?
What does it look like?
What smells are there?
What sounds?
What are you doing? Are you eating or drinking?
What colors? Objects?
Who would be there with you ideally?
Imagine holding a conversation with God there. What would you talk to Him about?
Write it.
Just take some time to be quiet, focused—and grateful.
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Amy L. George is the author of The Fragrance of Memory (Amsterdam Press, 2010), Sacred Fires and Ebullient Flames (Red Ochre Press, 2011), and Desideratum, which is forthcoming in January 2013 from Finishing Line Press. Her poetry and writings have been published in journals such as MiPoesia, Word Catalyst Magazine, Jones Av., The Foliate Oak Online and others. She and her husband live in North Texas where they both teach English at Southwestern Assemblies of God University in Waxahachie.