Just a quick thought to share today. As I've been reading Dr. Luke's account of the Gospel I was challenged by the life of Jesus (no surprise there). Jesus is frequently seen withdrawing from the crowd and even his disciples. I've often heard these passages used to remind people that its okay to take times away from public ministry and away from people. Here are some additional thoughts on the matter.
First of all, Jesus withdrew for a set reason: to pray. This prompted me to ask myself honestly if I used my time alone wisely. Am I actively spending time in prayer, in the Word and journaling? Am I using my time alone intentionally? Because if I am simply wasting time, frittering it away on Facebook or Youtube, I am not going to be ready to serve those around me. By no means am I saying that it is wrong to spend time on Facebook or watching a movie, but (speaking for myself here) if the majority of my precious time alone is spent on those things, I will be less prepared and less happy to spend time with people. Sometimes an hour is wasted on something frivolous that could have been spent preparing my heart.
Secondly, when Jesus was with people He was fully, completely, 100% with the people. He observed so much, he perceived their thoughts, he noticed those on the fringes of the crowd (like when he saw Zacchaeus in the tree). I think he was able to do this, in part, because He was careful and intentional with his time alone. When your time alone is not being used well, it can be easy to resent being around people or having them stop by.
This year I want to be intentional with people and also with my times of solitude.
Sunday, January 2, 2011
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Well said and quite true. Thank you for that. I've been thinking a lot about technology and how we are glued to it like people used to be glued to television. Such people used to be called couch potatoes. What do we call ourselves now? Desk potatoes? Computer potatoes? Chair potatoes? These tools we use can have mind and soul numbing effects. The problem is, we're not aware of it. We waste a lot of time. A lot of time. And I don't think we realize how much they add to our anxiety or nervous ticks. Enough said. Your words helped me recall such thoughts. Thanks again!
ReplyDeleteI didn't know you blogged Callie:)
ReplyDeleteI had similar thoughts during finals week: I didn't have any finals that week so I purposely did not get on facebook for that entire week. What did I find?-I wasted my time doing other pointless timewasters (watched more tv, spent more time on the internet, shopping, etc.) What I learned is that I have to be intentional with my time or it will literally slip right through my fingers and be a waste. The needy do not (in most cases) just show up at my door and ask for help. No! I need to be intentional in having an open ear and seeking people where I may be uncomfortable at times.
Okay that was a lot, but I had a lot to say:) Good (and similar) thoughts!