Yesterday, a visit with a student brought to me a rare and wonderful gift - the opportunity to reflect on my own spiritual health. We were discussing all the things that cause us stress. The conversation took an unplanned shift when I was asked, "Have you always been so calm about things?"
Well, the first thought through my mind was "You don't see me for most of my day, otherwise you wouldn't think me so calm." But as I allowed the comment to settle in, I realized that while I do get stressed about short term projects and issues I do manage to remain rather calm about life in general. There is a confidence that things will work out fine.
What ensued was a discussion of my morning route and how this routine starts my day and defines my day. I rise early, when the house is quiet. I make coffee, check the news headlines as it brews, then settle in for my devotional time, which culminates with these off-the-top-of-my-head offerings. It is a wonderful routine, which begins my day with God and makes prayer the first place I turn. It is a wonderful pattern for one's day. During the day, I receive random responses to what I wrote in the morning. These responses, whether they be affirmations or challenges to what I wrote, remind me that these 45 minutes are the anchor of my day and my life. They remind me that everything else which happens in the day can been seen as a response to those first minutes in the morning. Every thought, every action, every step I take is launched by my time with scripture and God.
What a gift, to be able to reflect on this. What a gift, to have fallen into a pattern of interacting with God which affirms and deepens my appreciation for the calming presence of that which is eternal.
Pastor Chris
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