The Quiet Center

Come and find the quiet center in the crowded life we lead,
Find the room for hope to enter, find the frame where we are freed:
Clear the chaos and the clutter, clear our eyes, that we can see
All the things that really matter, be at peace, and simply be.

I love these words from the hymn "Come and Find the Quiet Center" by Shirley Erena Murray. They remind me of my constant need to center myself in God before I engage the busyness and the business of the day. It is so easy to get caught up with the demands of our to-do lists and our chores, places to go to, people to meet and schedules to keep. With the continuing advancement of information technology, the temptation is stronger than ever to dive into our work first thing in the morning. And that just dictates how the rest of our day would go, doesn't it? It doesn't slow down from there. We continue on that dizzying pace until we are ready for bed. And even from bed, we find ourselves checking that last email, that last text message, that last post.

When I said yes to taking this new role, one of the first things I did was contact people I knew who were either former or current Superintendents. I asked them for tips, pointers and general words of wisdom. There was a variety of responses, ranging from the technical, the practical, to the spiritual. Yet one common piece of advice I got that resonated among all their messages was this: Pay attention to your soul. Do not neglect your spiritual life. Be disciplined in your spiritual practices.

I am thankful for those words of advice and have taken them seriously. I begin my day with God in scripture and prayer. Some days are easier than others. But I try. Sometimes I falter and I reap the consequences of an "un-centered" start throughout the day. And so I try my best to take time for God daily. My devotions today reminded me of how God provided manna daily to the Israelites in the wilderness and everyday they had to go out and gather this flaky substance from the ground for their food. In a practical sense, it was for food to satisfy their hunger. But in a deeper sense, it cultivated a habit of depending on God daily. It was meant to center them daily on the wonderful truth of God's grace. "Give us this day our daily bread."

Running is another practice that takes care of not only my body but also my soul. It has become, for me, a spiritual discipline. I do not use headphones and listen to music when I run and so I am able to listen to my breathing, my heartbeat and the pounding of my feet on the ground. I find it soothing when those three seem to be in sync, following a certain rhythm. Running allows me to process things, to think through a difficult situation or marinate on a sermon. It also relieves stress. When I am not able to run, I am cranky and out of sync.

Friend, I know that you, too, lead a very busy life. Amidst the busyness, may you find time to take care of your soul. I pray the words of this hymn as a blessing for you: May you find the quiet center in the crowded life you lead. May you find room for hope to enter and the frame where you are freed. May you find time and space to clear the chaos and the clutter. May your eyes be cleared to see the things that really matter. May you find peace and simply be. Amen.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Dear Papa and Mama: A "Coming Out" Letter

Image
February 23, 2019 St. Louis, Missouri Dear Papa and Mama, Design of Papa and Mama's tombstone in Baguio City, Philippines There’s something in my heart and mind that I’ve been wanting to tell you for some time now. While there’ve been chances to do so, I’ve avoided them not knowing how you would take it. My sense is you probably knew it already but you, too, have avoided the conversation, not knowing how it will go. I know I should have had this talk with you before each of you passed away and I regret not being able to do that. But I am writing this letter anyway, hoping and praying that somehow, as you are now in the presence of God and in the company of that great cloud of witnesses, you would read this, and you would understand. If I were back home in the Philippines, I would go to your gravesite and read this to you. But for now, this will have to do. So here it goes: I’m writing this on the floor of the Dome in St. Louis. It is the first day of the Special Called Sessi
Read more

Blue Christmas Run... for those in the dark

Image
This Saturday, I will be running the Willow Solstice Marathon in Willow, Alaska for the third straight year. Last year, I did it as a prayer run, playing on the theme of it being held on the winter solstice, the longest night (or at least the Saturday closest to it) and dedicating the run to those who are in the "longest nights" of their lives. I plan to do that again this weekend. I am reposting excerpts from a blog post I wrote a year ago because my words then are still my words now as I again dedicate this run in prayer and solidarity for you who are living in darkness right now. +++ I am running the Willow Winter Solstice Marathon this Saturday. It will be another prayer run for me. This time, I'm running for those who can't. Let me explain. From its name, the Willow Marathon is held on a Saturday closest to the winter solstice, the day when the darkness is longest. In some churches, a Longest Night or Blue Christmas service is held and is specificall
Read more

Come Run With Me... Again

Image
This blogpost is almost a repeat of the one I wrote exactly a year ago: Come Run With Me . Hence the title. On Sunday, August 16, I will again be running the 49K Ultra Marathon of the Big Wild Life Runs here in Anchorage.  And just like last year, my plan is to do it again as a prayer run. Because the distance I will be running (49 kilometers) is equivalent to 30.44860 miles and there are 28 United Methodist Churches under my care as Superintendent of the Alaska United Methodist Conference, I will be dedicating a mile for each of these churches. As I run each mile, I will prayerfully hold the church assigned to that mile, their pastor/s, lay people, missions and ministries. The remainder I will dedicate to conference-related ministries. Last year I found this especially helpful for me as a rookie Superintendent to mentally wrap my mind and spirit around the task before me. The prayer run helped me spiritually "walk" or "run" through the different ministry s
Read more