Our God is a God of order. In His great design He has given us a proper flow of events. He has provided for us the rising of the sun, and the setting of the sun, he has provided for us the shining of moonlight to pierce the depth of darkness. He has provided for us the ever changing seasons that we experience in nature: Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter. Each of these moments has a rhythm and flow which is ordered and directed into the next. As each season begins, there is a momentum which escalates into fruition and then unwinds or slows down to make way for the next season.
Our lives are ordered and grouped into seasons. “To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted; A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away; A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.” (Ecclesiastes 3:1-8)
We are currently in the Fall season of nature, it is a natural time that calls forth the slowing down of systems. The grasses have turned brown and have gone dormant, the plants have stropped producing , and it is time to gather the harvest from the labors of the planting and growing season. Even though the natural rhythm of life has a pace which calls for slowing down, we encounter a “business” and hectic pace among those who feel pressed to gather the harvest. People put in long hours, run on little sleep, and speed their way to-ward the storehouse to deposit the fruit of the harvest. Does this sound remotely familiar?
As followers of Christ we are encouraged, invited and called to live an Authentic Christian Life. What ever happened? Let us take a moment to reflect and understand.
REV THAT ENGINE: All of us, especially in America, have been conditioned and trained to believe that time is money. We get this driving force from the world we work in. There is a lot of talk in the workplace that focuses on time management, efficiency, becoming more productive with the end result more profitability. What is the result: dealing with time pressures. We are encouraged to cram more into our day. For some, they are encouraged to start earlier, work later, take work home, make sure that you use a laptop on a commuter train or airplane. Phone clients while you are driving. Schedule breakfasts, lunches, and dinners as work related encounters, rather than moments to enjoy and fellowship. Performance, performance, performance—we have come to see it as a key to promotion, positions, to increased compensation and power.
The marketplace mentality says, “Rev your engine to ten thousand RPMs as soon as you get up in the morning, and keep it there until you collapse in the sack at night.” WOW! Is it a wonder that the pharmaceutical industry has capitalized on creating pills to keep us going. We can get caught up in this frenzy without realizing, running after the adrenaline rush that starts to flow and keeps flowing as your motor starts racing faster and faster. With all this business and activity, there is little room for those quite moments with God—who has time?
To live Authentically as a Christian, is not to learn a systematic set of doctrines, and then step in line with other like minded persons all marching to the beat of a drummer. It is not getting caught up in legalism, rigidity, and performance. The heart and soul of the Christian life is learning to hear God’s voice and then developing the courage to do what He asks us to do. Very few Christians, realistically ever reach this level of authenticity because most Christians allow busyness to rule the day. This busyness, is in fact, the archenemy of spiritual authenticity. Busyness is likened to something the Bible calls worldliness—getting caught up with society’s agenda, objectives and activities to the neglect of walking with God. Any way you look at it, the key to living an authentic life is—TIME. It is in fact not seen as leftover time, not throwaway time, but quality time. It is time for contemplation, meditation and reflection. Many of us seek the guidance and direction of pastors, religious leaders and spiritual mentors. The underlying theme: “please help me discover what my purpose in life is.” Why do we not take the TIME to get to know the author of life Himself? Why is it so hard to hear, the Lord speaking? Because we are looking in all the wrong places, and listening to the wrong voices.
Most of us live unexamined lives. We repeat the same errors day after day. We don’t learn much from the decisions we make, whether they are good or bad. We don’t know why we’re here or where we’re going.
We must slow down the RPMs of our lives long enough to get a specific focus and perspective. How can we begin this process? An excellent tool is that of journaling. The very act of journaling—sitting down, reaching for a spiral notebook, jotting down the word “Yesterday” as a heading on a new page, writing one paragraph about the events, people, situations, opportunities of the previous day all helps us focus our thoughts. We are encouraged to limit the entire process to one page. Over time we will begin to see patterns that are destructive, and will gain insight for initiating change. This process alone will reduce our RPMs from ten thousand to five thousand. Journaling gives the body a brief rest. It focuses the mind. It frees the Spirit to operate, if only for a few minutes.
Write out your prayers. Keep a prayer journal. Often we have confessed that we do not experience the answer to our prayers. We get caught up with going through life on autopilot. Today, you can make the choice to refuse the trappings of living your spiritual life merely on autopilot. You do not have to settle for merely going through the motions of being a Christian anymore. You do not have to fly through meaningless prayers and page through a Bible that you don’t let saturate and influence your life. Today you can say, “I am not going to play halfway games anymore.” TAKE THE TIME, and live the experience.
Listening to God. This process of slowing down opens a new dimension for us. It is here that Authentic Christianity and living for Christ can occur. We find this in the unhurried, silent communing of God’s Spirit with ours. “After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper.” (1 Kings 19:12) You can’t become an Authentic Christian on a diet of constant activity, even if the activity is all church related. Some of this activity is merely busyness which can be viewed as justification for existence. Ministry, Christian concerts, fellowship and events or programs, weekend conferences, church meetings—all these are good activities and are a part of spiritual growth and development, but they are not the primary source of strength, forbearance, endurance, fortitude, and relationship. Strength, spiritual strength, is born of solitude. The decisions that we make which are most influential for moving us toward the kingdom of God, that will change the course of your life usually come out of these holy-of-holiest encounters. Take the time, listen to God, it is worth the effort.
By Minister Kim Moen
