Scripture
Create in me a clean heart O God,
And renew a right spirit within me. Psalm 51:1-13
Spiritual Focus
Do you have the patience to wait til your mud settles and the water is clear? Tao Te Ching
Breath Prayer
Inhale Renew
Exhale my Spirit
As the world re-opens in the wake of the pandemic, many of us are spending time this summer reuniting with family and friends, savoring again the ordinary pleasure of holding our loved ones in warm embraces. We are out and about in great numbers, as anyone who has tried to reserve a camping spot or hotel room this summer can attest. Popular recreation sites are crowded, sometimes resulting in tried patience and flared tempers. Relationships with others takes work and we are all a little rusty.
In our rush to return to the ordinary, it is tempting to overdo it—making too many summer commitments, cramming too many activities into short weekends or vacations. Wayne Muller, in his book Sabbath: Restoring the Sacred Rhythm of Rest good-humoredly contends that God so understood our obsessive need to be continually doing that God had to command us to rest—at least for one day in seven– and even then, we continually break that simple commandment!
In yoga philosophy, our need to rest and renew is also acknowledged. The yoga limb of pratyahara teaches students to intentionally find life-balance by creating space for action and inaction, society and solitude. In the Gospels, Jesus modeled this balance again and again, following times of healing and preaching with time in the desert to pray, rest, and be renewed.
As the last month of summer begins, savor whatever refreshes your mind, body, and spirit. Perhaps you are renewed by prayer, perhaps by hugs, or perhaps by simply sitting and doing nothing. Create space to allow the mud of ordinary life to settle around you, revealing God’s presence, renewing your spirit.
