Clutter

I am looking at my desk as I write, and the reality is I am a cluttery kind of guy. Perhaps it is both a result of nature and a bit of nurture, or simply it is the best I can do right now. But the mess that sits on my desk reminds me of the mess that our lives can be. We are a busy society--running from one place to another--chairing this committee and staffing that committee--meeting these friends for dinner and catching up with those friends for drinks. I think that for the most part we tiptoe between our calendar fillers with grace and poise, but when those calendar dates intersect, we often find ourselves in great unrest.

The silly thing about it is that we tend to, in our need to regain the balance of our world, neglect that which will truly benefit us. We compensate our personal life to achieve that balance. We are short with our spouses. We neglect our children. We forget to eat. We sleep little. We tire.

In truth, much of what we do carries importance to our life. The question then is, how do we cope? "Come unto me," Jesus says, "and I will give you rest." Whether you are a great mystic or a great commoner, there is a need for solitude. A need for rejuvination, both of spirit and of mind. God does not command us to pray for rest or strength; he says "Come unto me."