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I just spent 30 minutes in the woods, sitting down, walking around a bit, and just pondering. I grew up in the woods. I loved it. I didn’t know that city life existed, and that I would someday long for the trees, the ability to simply walk outside and within minutes be surrounded by forest and see no unnatural objects (such as houses or roads). I really miss it. Perhaps someday I’ll live with a yard that borders along many trees, so my children can play in the woods, and so I can go back there and commune with God some early morning.
We’re so addicted to busyness. If we’re not busy, we make ourselves busy. When people ask us about our lives, we reply, “Oh, just keeping busy,” as if that’s inherently honorable and desirable. Yet we all somehow know we’re too busy. Rarely do we say, “I’m not busy enough.”
Yet I wonder how often we actually take inventory of what is inside of us, to see how “busy” it is in there. Searching our hearts. Knowing our thoughts. What would we find inside? For me, it’s many voices. Voices that speak from different places, be it talk radio, music, television, e-mail, the Internet, church, books, friends, to name a few of the sources from which I drink constantly.
So let’s name a few (in no particular order): Glenn Beck, Keith Olbermann, Bill O’Reilly, John Eldredge, John Piper, N.T. Wright, Jonah Goldberg, Todd Mangum, my father, my mother, Marlin, Shiree, Colby, Marty, Camo, Scott, Dan, Joe, Josh, Pastor Stevens, Pastor Winne, Jon, Meade, Linda, Matt, Dave, Richard Dawkins, Sam Harris, Daniel Silva, Amity Shlaes, John Edwards, Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, George W. Bush, Sean Hannity. And these are just a few. I’ve heard their voices, digested at least some of it, and opinions have been formed based on my digestion of these thoughts.
Jesus is not on the list for two reasons. First, I was thinking of people who are not God (though some might believe themselves to be so); second, to make the point that these voices are competing with Jesus every day. In fact, it would be fair to say that Jesus is competing with them every day, because in many ways I have the volume turned up on them, and with Jesus I just assume he’ll speak when he wants to and I’ll hear him.
I think the volume is just too loud right now. So I’m using this 30 hours to get rid of the voices in my head because they are bogging my mind down. And I’m too “busy” with it to notice unless I’m in a position like I am today of spending time alone, apart from everything in life that contributes to this busyness.
Lord, please take the voices away. They are all good voices to hear, when places appropriately. But right now, it’s about your voice to me. It’s about the way you want to speak to me. The way you want my heart to be formed. Be forming my heart during this time. Let it be conformed to you as I study your word, study your truth, and learn to know you intimately. Amen.
