Shh... I'm trying to listen

I retreated to Sandy Cove Ministries in North East, MD last week with 32 people, all of us desiring to draw closer to God during Wellness Week.  We left Sandy Cove lighter physical, mentally, emotionally and filled with the knowledge that God’s spirit is working in each of us.

I strive to retreat every quarter for a 24-hour spiritual retreat. In Pittsburgh, we have many small retreat centers, most attached to convents or homes for retired priests. The cost is usually $30-45 for the night. The accommodations provide Spartan comfort without the distractions of TV or radio.

My goal on a spiritual retreat is to enter into silence.  Silence is a spiritual discipline I have practiced since 2009.  I have the gift of gab.  Quiet is not the first word anyone would use to describe me.  I fight to stay quiet during my retreats.

Richard Foster writes, “Spiritual disciplines are the main way we offer ourselves to God as a living sacrifice.  We are doing what we can do with our bodies, our minds, and our hearts.  God then takes this simple offering of ourselves and does with it what we cannot do, producing within us deeply ingrained habits of peace, love and joy in the Holy Spirit”

The week before my retreat, I ask the Lord to reveal what I might work on while I am alone with Him.  I humbly anticipate and hope I will hear from him.  Recently I used Ruth Haley Barton’s book Invitation to Solitude and Silence during a 24-hour retreat.

I begin my retreat in the evening.  When I first arrive, I am often exhausted physically. Sleep is my first step.  My night’s sleep is restless since this is not my bed.  Each time I awake, I remember I am here to seek the Lord.   I fall back to sleep.   In the morning, I rise and take advantage of any Morning Prayer service or Mass. The difference in their worship helps me focus on the differences and commonalities of Christian worship.

If the weather is nice, I head out for a walk or run taking advantage of God’s beautiful world.  The silence of my voice makes me acutely aware of the sights and sounds of the world.  I hear the bird in the tree, the swishing of the squirrel digging for nuts and the work of the lawnmower in the distance.  The wind swooshes by as it pushes against my face.  Now back in room, I am ready for a holy nap.  Finally, I am rested and still, gaining comfort with the silence.  As I finish my regular scripture reading and bible study, I am ready to listen.
Psalm 46:10   He says, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”

Ultimately my goal is to quiet my mind.   Become still in all of me.  Give God a chance to get through to me.  As I wait on God, I sit with anticipation and hope. In my mind, I am sitting on a beach in the early morning waiting patiently for the dawn.  When I finally sense His presence, his voice inside of me, the Holy Spirit whispers.  As I listen, I experience the beautiful sunrise for my soul.  I revel in the beauty of our Lord.

The sunshine washes over me and restoration begins. I hear the waves of his love washing over the beach of my life.  Carrying away the old deadwood and leaving behind the smooth sand glistening in His light. I do my best to journal everything.  I do not want to forget.  I am grateful for the presence of the Lord within me. I crave the silence, there is too little of it in my life.  Thank you, Lord, for touching me today. Thank you for the Silence.

When is the last time you enjoyed a sunrise in your soul?    Retreat is a crucial part of every battle.

Help there is too much to do

I have always related to Martha’s quandary when I read about Mary and Martha in Luke 10:40.  Recently, I was unsettled in two new ways. Let's look at the verse in The Message:  

Martha was pulled away by all she had to do in the kitchen. Later, she stepped in, interrupting them. “Master, don’t you care that my sister has abandoned the kitchen to me? Tell her to lend me a hand.”  Luke 10:40

Martha was distracted by the work to be done.  Activities in life pull us away from our time with our Lord, competing for our time. Years ago, when I started a quiet time, I did it in my car in the parking lot at work. It was a place I could be free of distractions. Gradually, as I built up a discipline, I moved to my dining room table each morning before work. Now my kids are grown, I converted a room to my study and hide away behind closed doors each morning.  The dirty dishes, laundry, dust on the shelf, trash, and emails each call out as I walk to my study.  I fight to keep distractions from pulling me off course. 

Martha stepped in and interrupted the Lord. Yikes, I can hear myself saying, “Hey Lord, over here, could you send some help with all these things on my to-do list. Tell someone to come lend me a hand.” No wonder I relate to Martha. We both have the audacity to interrupt the Lord and tell him what to do. The Lord gently handles Martha’s interruption (v 41-42) by intimately calling her name out, summarizing the situation: “Martha, dear Martha, you’re fussing far too much and had gotten worked up over nothing. One thing only is essential...” Jesus brought clarity to the situation. He changed Martha’s perspective.

So what about us? If Jesus dropped by your house, what might he say? 

• Stop worrying about tomorrow
• Slow down you are always rushing
• Show me your list, I will help you with your priorities
• Sit down, let’s spend more time together

Did Martha get it or did she go back to the distractions and finish up? Did she immediately fall to the feet of Jesus? My hope is that she chose what was better, spending the rest of the time with Jesus.

Let's flee the distractions and choose the “one thing” that is essential.