Ponchos and Spiritual Disciplines

I walked into a store today greeted with signs calling “Clearance 70% off”. Not one to pass up end-of-season bargains, I headed to a rack and quickly moved hangers across the bar. I decided I wasn’t interested in the colors or styles—they were not the kinds of sweaters I wear. Another rack held a group of cardigans and I have more than I need, so I didn’t look at those. The third rack caught my eye. I loved the colors and then read the tag: one size fits all. I moved to the next item and it bore the same “size”. I stared and wondered. How do a size six and a size sixteen wear the same clothes? Granted these were ponchos, but they would fall to the knees of a 5”8” woman. I’m  5’2”. It fell to my calves and was roomy enough to hide another person.

Styles and size apply to our spiritual disciplines too. Quiet times, meditations, devotions, prayer, study, watching and listening to speakers on media, and journaling.  We define and describe our spiritual disciplines and personal times with God in different ways.

Junk Drawer Conversation

Has your inbox been inundated with ideas to simplify in the New Year? I’ve also read several articles on Facebook with ideas for cleaning and organizing. It seems to be a popular topic. We take different approaches: new filing system, purging junk drawers, and cleaning cupboards. We discard packages with past expiration dates and remove unnecessary clothing in our closets. We have a sense of accomplishment when we see neat and organized spaces.

In the past week, I opened personal junk drawers in my mind and heart. A recent experience triggered thoughts of an unpleasant event years ago. I rehearsed it in my mind as if I were writing a script for a play. To make matters worse, like a modern day Eve, I took the serpent’s bait and shared my thoughts with a friend. It was a monologue straight from my junk drawers.

Recalculating

I admit I’m directionally challenged. I rely heavily on my GPS even when I’m familiar

with routes. I use it because I anticipate the possibility of encountering a blocked road and I know I’d go into panic mode if I don’t have a guide to direct me.

On a few occasions, I missed a turn that quickly came up and I couldn’t get into the right lane. A friendly reminder says and posts the words, “recalculating”. The screen changes: arrows move in a circular motion, streets disappear, and a new route emerges.

As we begin a new year, some of us made a decision to start or stop an activity. Perhaps we chose to live by a word or phrase to frame our choices.

We recalculated.

Selah! January is National Hot Tea Month

“The apostles gathered around Jesus and reported to him all they had done and taught.  Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them,

'Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.'” 

Mark 6: 30-31 (NIV)

     When I order hot tea, a server brings me a pot  of water and a tea bag so I can steep tea to my liking. It seems logical because we each enjoy tea at varying strengths. Some prefer to steep tea for three minutes, others prefer a stronger flavor and will let it sit longer. Although giving me a choice of the length of time I want to steep my tea is a kind gesture, I’m sometimes faced with the dilemma of a dripping tea bag and no place to put it. Wrapping the string around the bag is a faux pas among tea aficionados, and placing it in my saucer creates an accumulation of liquid, which drips when I lift my cup to sip. A tea rest seems to be the logical solution for my used tea bag. Tea bag rests are a necessary accoutrement.

     Rest. Jesus knew the importance of rest. In today’s scripture He called His disciples to go away with Him and rest for a while after they had completed their particular mission. Rest is mentioned in several other places in the Bible too.  

     A day of rest was established in Genesis—one whole day out of seven was created for rest.  God promised rest for the Israelites in the Promised Land.  In our relationship with Christ we find rest and peace for our souls.

     In the Psalms, the word selah is found several times at the end of a section of verses. It is marked as a stopping place; a place to pause and reflect on what’s been said; a place to rest and be refreshed. We have been given so many reminders in scripture of the importance of rest, so why do we avoid it? Why do we insist on completing our “To Do Lists” to the point of exhaustion, running from one activity to the next, being over-committed and undernourished? Why do we use energy dwelling on what isn’t, rather than enjoying what is? 

     We need to stop and rest.

     Tea rests are perfect solutions to the dilemma of dripping tea bags, too strong a flavor, and the inappropriate solution of wrapping the string around a wet teabag. Rest is essential to living a balanced life. Without rest we drip and are drained. We might feel squeezed like the string around a tea bag.  We may be too strong in one area of our life and out of balance in others. Without rest, we can even contribute to messes because we fail to stop to evaluate and pray about our plans and decisions.  

     Let’s look at the example of the tea bag rest and take our cues from scripture. January is National Hot Tea Month. Why not pour a cup of tea, sip, and find a quiet place to rest today? Selah!

This devotion was first published in Tea Lovers Devotions to Go (c) Marilyn Nutter, 2007.http://www.marilynnutter.com/page/page/3264633.htm