Sanctuary

If you’ve missed me the past few days, I’ve been out of town and distracted with a couple of memorial services which have been emotionally consuming. That being said, let us march onward.

For so many of us life can and does get hectic, even out of control at times. We all deal with those feelings in different ways. One of the most common antidotes for a busy life can be learning to take a little time out, even if we fear that the time can’t be spared. Without those little breaks, our effectiveness erodes over time. I am not speaking merely of efficiency, but of our spiritual effectiveness, physical well being and mental acuity. At times during the day life just becomes too much and our natural response is too simply fight/work/push harder. However, if we can step back for a few moments and collect ourselves it may be very beneficial. Further more, the very act of relaxing for even a moment may help us to collect our thoughts and overcome obstacles which seemed too complicated only moments before. Everyone who is successful at this technique seems to come up with a different formula. Sometimes just a walk around the block will do. I know a man who learned in college to take 10 minute naps. Lots of folks like to break at a nearby coffee house. I know someone else who goes to a park and sits in the shade for a few moments. Others can just close their eyes and pray or read a bible right at their seats. Often a break room, a favorite chair, a quiet nook, etc. can be found right in our homes or offices. All of these methods accomplish the same thing-they take us out of our situation, our routine, for a few moments and allow us the opportunity to refocus ourselves. Refocusing can involve so much more than vision. We can refocus our eyes, our minds, our hearts, our souls. When we do these things, we are seeking sanctuary from the complications of life, like taking a tiny Sabbath in the midst of a busy day. My hope and prayer for you is that you may discover the quiet corners in your own life where you can slip away from time to time and find some peace. And once you learn what works for you, visit those places often. Your life will be all the better for it.

Sanctuary
Amidst the busy thoroughfares
Where the crowds of traffic rush
Quiet corners may still be found
Where the world seems to hush
Where the pressures and the problems
For a time, are held at bay
And a weary soul finds refuge
From the troubles of the day
There are gardens, parks and churches
Benches, pews and shady trees
Solemn nooks of sanctuary
Which can put a heart at ease
Where the busy, the downtrodden
May pass an hour or two
Away from life’s distractions
To refresh, relax, renew
In those quiet moments
When we pause to think and pray
A soul finds sanctuary
From the storms of life each day
By Frank Carpenter ©