God To-Go

"Maybe I have been living much too fast, too restlessly, too feverishly, forgetting to pay attention to what is happening here and now, right under my nose ... you have to be still and wait so that you can realize that God is not in the earthquake, the storm, or the lightening, but in the gentle breeze with which he touches your back." Henri Nouwen

What did God do after creation? He rested. Did God need rest? Does God get tired, fatigued, or exhausted? Or, did God rest for our sakes? Did he stop working to model what we need to do to soak up his presence and hear his voice?

It's not easy to stop.

We're wired to produce. Time is money. Rest is a waste of time. Meditation is a lost discipline. We'll take God on-the-run, God to-go. Drive through windows would work well for church. "I'll have a God-burger, a spiritual side salad with oil of the Spirit dressing, and a large Holy Water to go please."

"Do you want to super-size that?"

"Sure."

Spiritual fast food? Not a bad idea for 21st century too-busy-to-breathe-Christians.

C.S. Lewis wrote in one of his letters, "Lord, how I loathe big issues!" He was reacting to pretentiousness that only sees significance in the big accomplishments--in the noisy, hurried, grand, attention-grabbing headlines we try so desperately to create for ourselves.

The most important things can only be learned in our response to the God-in-the-gentle-breeze. "This is what the Sovereign Lord, the Holy One of Israel says: 'In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength, but you would have none of it'" (Isaiah 30:15).

No fast food here.

The drive through window just slammed shut.

Salvation comes from unhurried leisure where we stop long enough to repent from our self-aggrandizing labor and quiet our souls to hear Papa's voice. Inner strength comes from a quiet-faith that changes the question of our lives. The question changes from "How much have we accomplished today" to "How much time have we spent in Papa's presence today?"

Why don't we stop?

We're convinced we're indispensable. From this we need to repent. True spirituality is born when our hearts and minds are quiet and still in God's presence. Over-busy people won't do it.

What if we stopped all the over-doing in our lives? Would anyone care? Would the world fall apart? No.

It's time to stop. Repent. Rest. And rediscover Papa-God's life-giving presence.