Saturday, June 18, 2011

Spiritual Slothfulness

One blog I check regularly is Wrestling with Angels by Carolyn Arends, a musician and writer.  Her recent entry was pretty thought-provoking (as they usually are).  You can read her whole post here.  Several times as I read (and re-read) her words, I found myself saying (well, thinking) "Ouch."

"Pay attention to God. If I don't, I'm guilty of spiritual sloth, no matter how hard I'm working. ....

Attending takes time without offering quantifiable results. It requires stillness in a culture that rewards industriousness. It's inefficient in a world that considers getting things done next to godliness......

God is not looking for leaders who take matters into their own hands. He values faithfulness over efficiency. It's no good to organize the whole world yet be oblivious to the God who created it and holds it together. ....

My job is to pay attention."    quotes from Carolyn Arends' blog.

I've had time these last months to pay attention.  And it has been so good for me.  I have been able to see and experience God and His presence in so many ways.  I don't have to go back to work for awhile, but I'm already starting to wonder how I can maintain some of what I have been able to do and the good habits I have been blessed to be able to cultivate.  Because I do want to continue to pay attention - to avoid spiritual sloth.  And not only do I want to do this.  I need to do this.  Maybe that is the first step - realizing it's a need and not a want.  Awareness is the first step, but I also need to consciously work to pay attention and see God.  A second step in paying attention is, for me, to continue to list the gifts I see from God. 

The list of gifts.....
214) smell of lilacs as I pass by
215) sunshine in the evening after a day of rain
216) glimpsing a rainbow while walking in the drizzle
217) curly hair that gets curlier in the rain
218) clean windows
219) fresh haircut
220) watching a 3-legged dog galumphing through a patch of dandelion seed heads
221) the word galumphing
222) shaved asparagus pizza

223) living in a country where women are free
224) making cards

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