It's easy to be serene and peaceful on the mountaintop when the strife of the climb is over. It's even easy (though less so) to have inner calm in the valleys of life, when it seems that we are at our lowest ebb, for those are the times we shed the extraneous and tend to depend on God more - and He does often give the peace that passes understanding.
What is the hardest is having peace and quietness of spirit during the climb.
When the going is really tough, adversities abound, and progress is being made but there is still far to go - when we are caught between being satisfied with what we have and wanting more - that is when it is hard to become settled and tranquil in our daily lives.
Finding balance when the task ahead consumes us, living a life of grace and being centered when so many voices compete for our attention in our busy lives - this is a daily challenge. We are so focused on the task at hand that sometimes we forget to look for beauty in the midst of the chaos, harmony in the discord, the fragrance of little God-moments in the mundane, the still small voice of God during the noisy rush hour traffic.
I don't think there is one pat answer for those times. It's a combination of seeking balance, picking our battles, letting go of the small stuff (and some would argue it's all small stuff), and concentrating on what's most important instead of allowing the urgent things to grab us by the throat. It's found on the fly, at opportune moments, at stop lights, even.
A momentary self-check can identify preoccupations, fears, worries, and disquieting imaginations that can run away with us if we let them. Periodically willing ourselves to physically relax, even if only for a few minutes, can set the tone for letting peace reign. The effort we make to spend time with God, centering in on what really matters: these priorities we set for ourselves are well worth the effort.
What is the hardest is having peace and quietness of spirit during the climb.
Finding balance when the task ahead consumes us, living a life of grace and being centered when so many voices compete for our attention in our busy lives - this is a daily challenge. We are so focused on the task at hand that sometimes we forget to look for beauty in the midst of the chaos, harmony in the discord, the fragrance of little God-moments in the mundane, the still small voice of God during the noisy rush hour traffic.
I don't think there is one pat answer for those times. It's a combination of seeking balance, picking our battles, letting go of the small stuff (and some would argue it's all small stuff), and concentrating on what's most important instead of allowing the urgent things to grab us by the throat. It's found on the fly, at opportune moments, at stop lights, even.
A momentary self-check can identify preoccupations, fears, worries, and disquieting imaginations that can run away with us if we let them. Periodically willing ourselves to physically relax, even if only for a few minutes, can set the tone for letting peace reign. The effort we make to spend time with God, centering in on what really matters: these priorities we set for ourselves are well worth the effort.
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