The apostles gathered around Jesus, and told him all that
they had done and taught. He said to them, “Come away to a deserted place all
by yourselves and rest a while.” For many were coming and going, and they had
no leisure even to eat. And they went away in the boat to a
deserted place by themselves. Now many saw them going and recognised them, and
they hurried there on foot from all the towns and arrived ahead of them. (Mark
6: 30-33)
A television documentary traced the journey of five people on a silent
retreat. As the silence deepened, their first encounter was not with God but
with themselves - and it felt like a desert. Their lives had been so busy that
they could not imagine another way of living. With guidance, they learned to be
with themselves at a new depth. When choosing a desert, make sure it’s deserted
enough! Yes, the crowds will always arrive but they are not the problem. We need another way of meeting them, no
longer driven by urgency. It won’t always work but we can keep on trying – and
so will Jesus.
(Extract from Dust & Glory by David Runcorn)
Prayer
Lord, help me to find
stillness, so that in my busyness,
I do not leave my soul behind in the
wilderness.
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