I see her every day as I wait for my boys at school. She lives just up the road from where I wait. And each day I see her stroll to meet her kids. It’s the stroll that intrigues me. It’s languid, easy and relaxed. But it’s still a stroll with purpose to collect her children from school. I sit in my car slightly envious of her unrushed walk. I don’t know her back story or how her day has gone, but she consistently appears to be one unrushed, unharried mum. I see others too, quite the opposite juggling an uncooperative toddler or powering up the hill at double speed as the bell has already sounded.
There’s something to be said for being unrushed. Still purposeful, but unrushed nonetheless. A life of serenity really. Later that night having had a busy early evening on the home front, I headed off to Church for a speaking engagement. I was feeling somewhat rushed, and was using the drive to transition from the mum overseeing homework and putting the boys to bed to speaker / teacher. Unconsciously though, I found myself singing “Be still and know that I am God”. That’s when I realised my soul (my mind, will and emotions) was definitely rushed and somewhat stressed, but my spirit was not. My spirit was at peace and my spirit was working at calming my soul down.
I have a choice, I can let me soul rule or I can let my spirit rule. Our spirit is in constant communion with God. It is at peace. It is our spirit that radiates the light of God. As Kris Vallotton once wrote “you will always reproduce the environment around you that you cultivate within you.” If I want that unrushed, serene walk, I need to ensure that that I am cultivating peace internally.
So watch out for me at the School gate – I’m the chilled out one…well the trying to be one anyway.
“For the rhythm of life is a powerful beat. Puts a tingle in your fingers and a tingle in your feet.”
These are the words to a song that I’ve found myself singing – a homage to my school choir days. And as I have sung them, I have thought about the rhythm of life. Our days, our weeks – our lives all have rhythms. Some not intentional and seemingly organic, like catching up with friends or a spontaneous coffee (well not so spontaneous for me perhaps!). Others are planned and even somewhat intrusive like the morning alarm sounding the start of a new day.
Today, as my boys went back to school for the first day of the school year, a rhythm that has not been followed for a few weeks was reset and started again with the making of school lunches and school drop offs.
Yet in amongst the ebb and flow of the daily rhythm is another one – that of our spirit. Our spirit is constantly calling out to God and drawing us to Him. Deep calls to deep. And while our soul might be satisfied with the rhythm of a daily quiet time and feel refreshed and connected to God, our spirit is constantly yearning for more of God’s presence. Our spirit wants our heartbeat to be in tune with that of the Lord’s. That is to know when God is prompting and moving us to action – talk or witness to that person, to pray for that neighbour or to meet the need of another. It is always prompting us to see God in all that surrounds and in sometimes fleeting moments to connect with God.
“If…you seek the Lord your God, you will find Him if you look for Him with all your heart and with all your soul.” Deuteronomy 4:29
