(Stock Photo Unsplash – Jason W)
By Marrick Reeve
Meet me, O Christ, in this stillness of morning.
Move me, O Spirit, to quiet my heart.
Mend me, O Father, from yesterday’s harms.
From the discords of yesterday, resurrect my peace.
From the discouragements of yesterday, resurrect my hope.
From the weariness of yesterday, resurrect my strength.
From the doubts of yesterday, resurrect my faith.
From the wounds of yesterday, resurrect my love.
Let me enter this new day, aware of my need, and awake to your grace, O Lord.
By Douglas Mcelvey, from Every Moment Holy, Volume I.
I recently came across this prayer written by Douglas Mcelvey. In a soft but not subtle way, the Lord spoke. In the past few months, my heart has been desiring a simpler, quieter, and, in some ways, slower life. A strong desire for days that don’t have a time frame, days where it’s an easy choice to sit out in the sun, days where cooking a nice meal is fun and not a necessity permeate the days where I feel I don’t have time to sit down, days where there’s always something else that needs to be immediately done, days when I forget to eat. As the days lengthen, the beach’s whisper grows louder, calling me out of the hustle and bustle and into the consistent lapping of the waves on the shore, slowly pulling the sand in and pushing it back against the shore: a perceived comfort and a reminder to just be, to sit in the love of the Lord. A reminder to pay attention to the details: what sounds can I hear? What things can I see? What do I smell?
In the moments of stillness, the Lord speaks. In a world of Amazon Prime 2-day shipping, of machines that do most of the work, and an inundation of sights, sounds and information, I am reminded to breathe when I take the extra time to make my coffee with careful attention to the details: the temperature of the water, the size of the grinds, the time it takes to drip. In the everyday mundane, it can be easy to forget to watch the details as I zoom from one task to the next, from one place to another, but my life is much fuller when I see all the details the Lord has put in place so that I can drink my morning coffee in the peace of my home. This payer reminded me I do not have to go far away to slow down.
I encourage you to take the long way and be present. Whether that’s making your own art instead of buying a print from Homesense, trying to make bread from scratch instead of buying it, or taking the scenic way home so that you pass your favourite tree, maybe it’s intentionally listening to the sound of the photocopier as it prints or the smell of the soap when you wash your hands. Whatever requires you to slow down and notice the details, do that and invite the Lord in to show you all the little details He thought of in this big, beautiful, magnificent world that He created.
