By Milton Johanides
This is a rush-around world we live in. No matter how much we try to slow things down, down-size, or reduce our responsibilities, somehow the old snowball of stress manages to gather pace on us. The reason is that it is becomingly increasingly difficult to isolate ourselves. New technologies ensure that we are always in touch, and that means always touchy. So how do we beat the communications invasion?
The old idea of a faith walk was a long, hazardous journey through rough country heading for some religious centre, living on very little food along the way and sleeping under the stars, a genuine pilgrimage. While these are still possible to do in many parts of the world, increasingly they become part of a holiday, squeezed into a short space of time. At the end, the return to “normality” can wear away all the benefits of the trip.
The faith walk I have been promoting in these articles is about finding a spiritual centre that you can visit any time you want – inside your heart and your head. As the age of 24 hour trading, 7 days a week dawns on us we are in danger of losing the very special commandment that God made – “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy” (Ex 20.8). In the days before Jesus, the Sabbath day was a particular day of the week when no one did anything. Jesus himself was rebuked for trying to heal a crippled woman on the Sabbath (Luke 13.10), but his teachings revealed that the new covenant was a covenant not written in stone, but on the heart.
This means that although the principle of a holy rest, a time which we devote to the Lord, is still vital for our well being, it no longer needs to be a specific day or a specific time. Psychologically, it is beneficial to take time off after a six day stretch of work, exactly as God commanded. Continuous work without rest can have a negative impact on health and stress levels. But just as importantly we should be able to find a quiet place inside us whenever we need to escape.
Follow this simple meditative routine whenever you can and remember it whenever things get on top of you:
- Say, Father I hand all my difficulties to you as you are the best person to take care of them.
- Say, I am like a tree planted by a stream, watered by the living word of Jesus
- My enemies have the Lord to answer to, not me.
- As I work, bless my endeavours, Lord, and bless others with whom I come into contact
- If I feel unloved, unappreciated, neglected in my work, Lord remind me of the presence of your loving arms.
Sit still and upright, eyes shut, while you say these little prayers. Turn them into a hymn or a mantra, and repeat them until you feel the cool waters of Jesus’ wisdom rush through and over you. This is your real holy day.
Milton Johanides is a retired businessman, church elder, writer and artist. He has been featured on BBC TVs Songs of Praise, owned numerous art galleries and once ran an award winning picture framing business in Scotland. The views expressed in these articles are his own. Web address: http://www.x-ibit-it.com
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