Rhymes

Every once in a while, I return to a book that I have read earlier and re-read it. Usually once I read a book I seldom crack the pages again. Eugene Peterson writing in The Contemplative Pastor, has the ability to lure the one time reader back into the pages of his writings.

Tucked into one of the chapters Peterson quotes John Oman. He says there are "twin perils" that threaten our journey.

"Flurry and Worry"

I have seen both and experienced both. Oman goes on to say, "flurry dissipates energy and worry constipates it."

"Flurry" is the bane of our culture....We pride ourselves in being busy. C.S. Lewis said, "only lazy people work hard." Activity, busy-ness, and sighing alert people to the fact that we are busy. If we are busy people will think we are important.

"Worry" is a sedative our culture uses when we realize that there is very little we can do to alter circumstances we encounter.

After watching people for a long time, it seems that flurry and worry go hand in hand. Where one shows up the other is lurking in the wings.

Don't fret or worry....Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns....It's wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life. Philippians 4:6

I am learning to sit quietly and avoid the temptation to "flurry and worry." It's not easy, but it is necessary. It is not natural, but it is necessary.

God, help me to resist the temptation to get ahead of you and then wonder where you are.