“Just remaining quietly in the presence of God, listening to Him, being attentive to Him, requires a lot of courage and know-how.” – Thomas Merton
It would be safe to say that the number one enemy we all face is stress. Some may think that life is far more hectic now than it ever was. I am not convinced that is true. A quick look at history will tell you that people have always had a lot to do and little time (or so it seemed) to do it in. No I think the big stress causer today in not so much the work to be done but the noise we live in.
SURROUNDED BY NOISE
People today are surrounded by noise. The sounds of traffic, trains, planes, construction, people and if all that is not enough, we plug ear buds into our heads and have music or talk going all day long. No wonder we get stressed out and feel we cannot escape the clamor of the world. There is only one way to find some relief and to get some peace in our life and that is to make it our self. Even if it is only for a few minutes, we need some quiet time to calm us down.
HOW YOU START THE DAY
Success-Minded People know that it is how you start your day that will set the pace for the entire day. If you start the day rushed and under pressure you will be rushed all day long. It is because of this that I believe the best time to have a bit of quiet is in the morning. Let me start off right here and tell you this is my opinion and it is not the rules of the game. I have found something that works for me and I want to share it with you. I agree with the 17th Century inventor Blaise Pascal who said “All the troubles of life come upon us because we refuse to sit quietly for a while each day in our rooms.”
MORNING PEACE
I am a morning person and I realize many are not. I love to get up at 5:00 AM and have my quiet time with the Lord. There is less noise and activity at that time. You may not want to rise at five, but I suggest you think about a time early in the day where you are not rushed and things are quiet. This is a great way to calm yourself, relax and allow the Lord to speak to you, not you shooting a few requests to Him and then off you go. Do you want to know God? Then have some time to be quiet. Scripture does tell us in Psalm 46 to be still and know He is God.
JUST TAKE A FEW MINUTES
Take a few minutes (this is the hard part) and close your eyes and just be still and quiet for a bit. Let all thoughts of the day move aside and just think of the goodness of God for a moment. Augustine said “Thou hast created us for Thyself, and our heart is not quiet until it rests in Thee.” This will be hard at first because you will want to get on with things or think about some pressing matter you have, but force yourself for just a few minutes to be quiet. I promise you that in time it will be one of the most important parts of your day. Getting up early will be a joy and your whole relationship with the Lord will change for the better.
© 2011 John Patrick Hickey
