busy

“ ‘I am so busy.’ We say this to one another with no small degree of pride, as if our exhaustion were a trophy, our ability to withstand stress a mark of real character. The busier we are, the more important we seem to ourselves and, we imagine, to others. To be unavailable to our friends, and family, to be unable to find time for the sunset, to whiz through our obligations without time for a single mindful breath, this has become the model of a successful life.”

–Wayne Muller

Psalm 131

1 Lord, my heart is not proud;
my eyes are not haughty.
I don’t concern myself with matters too great
or too awesome for me to grasp.
2 Instead, I have calmed and quieted myself,
like a weaned child who no longer cries for its mother’s milk.
Yes, like a weaned child is my soul within me.

3 O Israel, put your hope in the Lord—
now and always.

how to deal with stress

i was talking to one of my mentors at home recently, and she said something that i've hidden in my heart for safe keeping, and i want to share it with you, too. it's quite simple, actually. basically, it's the idea that we are not citizens of this world. even though we live here, our citizenship is not here, but in Heaven (we are IN the world, but not OF the world). often we forget to live our daily lives with this simple yet incredibly crucial fact in mind. because our lives don't end here by any means, there is no reason for us to worry about the little things, and keeping the state of our citizenship in mind can help us judge what is great and what is small in light of eternity. lately, as i've been going through some tough times with my parents getting divorced, i've been tempted to allow satan to trap me in worry - to convince me that my problems are huge and all-consuming... but we have to remember that he is the father of lies and aims to deceive above all else. even though it is a large, complicated problem, in light of eternity, it is a very temporary problem - not something that i can allow to hinder my life of freedom in christ and my pressing onward in pursuing righteousness. don't allow lies to permeate the truths you know and love and that have been etched upon your heart by God.

be joyful! the Lord our God is mighty to save! He has already won, and we are to walk in that path He has laid before us, constantly handing over to Him our worries, our stress, and our hurts.

"do not be anxious about anythiing, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God." -phil. 4:6

so let me seem until i become so

so let me seem, until i become so:
do not divest me of my white garment!
i am hastening from the beautiful earth
down to that impregnable house.

there i shall rest a little while in tranquility,
then a fresh vision will open up;
i shall leave behind then the pure raiment,
the girdle and the wreath.
and those heavenly beings
do not concern themselves with man and woman,
and no garments,
no robes,
cover the transfigured body.

true, i have lived without trouble and toil,
yet i have felt deep pain enough.
through sorrow i have aged too early --
o make me forever young again!

-j.w. von goethe
"mignon III: so lasst mich scheinen, bis ich werde" - hugo wolf