When was the last time you were still?
Or the last time you quieted your thoughts and worries, and just rested?
This world spins faster and faster and toils more and more with each passing day. In such a fast paced world we are fuelled by deadlines, requirement and problems that need to be solved on the fly. These ingredients don’t make for a peaceful planet, or peace-filled people.
What do you do when life starts to combust and the frustrations of life wear you down? I watched a video by Dale Partridge (link below) this morning and the last 1 minute or so he explains the importance of slowing down. I believe it is in the recovery period of out sprint to "the life we want" that we find peace, and contentment and real life. Striving is great, but it puts our bodies into a perpetual state of restlessness. I believe it is in our still moments that we hear God's gentle voice, and feel his guiding hand on our lives. We are inundated with things, and wishes and wants to a point that we are too distracted to recognize our lives are wasting away.
I wrote about two years ago, " ...I think that I crave the endlessness of the ocean, and the majesty of mountains, or the expanse of the stars when life becomes a series of pressure points and stresses. There is something about feeling small in the midst of nature's grandeur that reminds us that our problems, often in the grand scheme of things, are small too. I ache right now for the serenity that I know the rocky jagged peaks of mountains can offer, to rediscover the tranquility of the sea lapping on the sandy shore, or to feel fresh air rush past my body and fill my empty lungs. There is something simple and uncomplicated in being under a canvas of stars, even though their twinkling constellations ignite finite questions."
"...I am guilty of looking at life the wrong way. I see this chapter in the book of time almost like a holding tank while I am preparing for "real life" but that is scary mentality to have. We are constantly hoping and striving for more, for better.... for the next best thing. Contentment is a dying art. If it isn't appreciating the Iphone 4 that's in your hand because there exists a better, faster, shinier model, or the ability to take a breath and enjoying this moment however uncomfortable or stressful it is because of the anticipation for the next thing, we will live our lives without ever appreciating what we actually have. All we have is this moment right now. I am guilty of always wondering if there will be something better around the corner... that curiosity however, seems to only extend as far as what I "can control." I don't want to always be searching. It is exhausting to turn over every rock, and to look into every cranny. So despite the unknowns, despite the worries, and fears or curiosity of something more... I want to choose to appreciate right now."
Apparently this search for peace is a common one for me. Life is hard - no matter how hard to try to control it, it is a wild beast that will not be tamed. We tend to hold on to things that will fade, or change, or grow, and try to tell them to stay the same. But our reality on this earth is that we have 24 hours in a day, 7 days in a week and 365 days in a year. There is a moment in between each other those milestone where we get to start again.
https://www.facebook.com/DaleJPartridge/videos/1674328366117596/
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