Scheduled yesterday was a long-anticipated demographics workshop which took up most of the day which means I did not take my usual monastery day.* This is bad.
As much as I geekily enjoy hearing demographic facts, I also realized how utterly dependent I am upon Alone Time. I must have it.
Love my husband. Love the kids. Love the church. Nuts about the dog.
But I wither without Alone Time. It is my spiritual refreshment, my devotional Red Bull, the only consistent satisfaction for my Myers-Briggs I. The odd thing is that I'm rarely alone on monastery day; I'm simply with different company. God is there certainly. But often there are also strangers who see me reading a Bible and stop to ask me about it.
That's the strange sort of anti-prostelyzation attraction. If I tried to engage strangers with Bible in hand, it would scare/repel people. But if I sit there reading it, looking not-so-scary, they want to talk.
I missed this yesterday. And so today, after some morning meetings, I can - at least - take a monastery afternoon. Thanks be to God.
*Do what one does at a monastery, although my monastery might be a coffee shop or museum.Sit. Pray. Read scripture. Stare into space. Ponder holy things.
Art is Archangel Gabriel (early 14th c) at the Decani Monastery in Serbian province of Kosovo and Metohia.
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2 comments:
I knew that Gabriel was a tall, good looking redhead!
Caring for family: 8 hours
Working at job: 12 hours
Running errands: 2 hours
Alone time: Timeless.
What a blessing that we don't have to go far away to find that 'monastery time'? (although a day without phone calls and unplanned visitors makes staying in touch with God so much easier)I continue to be surprised when I find God's voice in that of the encountered stranger.
'hope to see you at the wedding!
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