IT’S NOT ENOUGH TO BE BUSY, SO ARE THE ANTS. THE QUESTION IS, WHAT ARE WE BUSY ABOUT?

HENRY DAVID THOREAU

We have reminders for absolutely everything these days. Not just the big things like anniversaries, birthdays, weddings etc but reminders for this, that and everything else. Some people even put reminders in their calendar to remind them that it’s time for their favourite TV show. It’s not how everyone operates but it’s not foreign nowadays to have our lives organized in one online calendar or another and having multiple devices chiming in sync with reminders. It’s a frequent saying now that as a society and as people we have never been so busy like we are now. The human life is more organised, and jam packed than ever before. Even our retirees are busier than before they retired.

In the scriptures we hear the story of the temptation of Jesus in the wilderness as He ventured to the desert for 40 days and 40 nights as preparation for what was to come. Jesus was tempted several times to break His faith in the father and to follow another path, but Jesus held strong and maintained His time of preparation. There are times in our lives and in our works for the Society that we get bogged down in the business and forget to make time for the other important things. The one thing our calendars never remind us to do is to take time out. To stop. To be present in the moment.

To show gratitude for those things we are thankful for. To pray. To eat good food. To laugh out loud. Our calendars don’t remind us these things because apparently these are already slotted into our lives. But are they? This week let’s put time in our calendars to stop. Maybe even voice what we are thankful for in our lives. See how we go. Surely, we can spare a little bit of time to stop.

REFLECTION QUESTIONS

How do you ‘turn off’ and make time for you?

Do you encourage those around you to do the same? What reminder will you give yourself this week?

From: Firewood for the soul, vol. 1, A Reflexion Book for the Whole Vincentian Family
St. Vincent de Paul Society, Queensland, Australia.
Text by: Samantha Hill.