I received a card from an ELPC member, during my rotator cuff recovery and in it they shared the wisdom of Thomas Merton with me: “There are times we simply have to sit back for a while and do nothing.” Do nothing!? This quote has been a gift, reminder, and a challenge. I have been surprised how difficult and disorienting it has been to be dis-abled from contributing to work, home, and regular life. Even in writing an article for Reaching Out, I was panicked. What will the church think if I am not offering any Spiritual Life activities to do this summer? This thought exposed an insidious internal belief: “My value and worth are rooted in what I’m able to produce and do.” This injury and recovery have not only revealed both my physical ableism, but also my inner ableism—I am what I do, contribute, and produce. This is not the Gospel, it is the American empire who honors, values, and rewards for those who are busy and produce efficiently—which perpetuates a culture of hurry, overwork, and hyper productivity. Amid this disorienting discovery, Spirit gently whispered a familiar scripture verse to me, “in returning and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength”—Isaiah 30:15. So, I wondered…what if this summer, as a prophetic act, and as a way of tending our own souls, we practiced SLOWING as a spiritual practice? A time to return and rest in God and receive salvation. A time to be quiet and trust with God as a demonstration of strength.
Adele Ahlberg Calhoun, in her book, Spiritual Disciplines Handbook, asks the following questions related to the contemplative spiritual discipline of “Slowing:”
- Are you addicted to hurry, rush and adrenalin?
- What is it like for you to choose to do things slowly?
- When do you rely on caffeine to get through a tough part of the day?
- What is it like for you to eat slowly rather than snarfing down your food?
- How have deadlines, timelines, and bottom lines affected the pace of your life?
Calhoun offers these “Slowing” practices, ways to learn to slow down and pay more attention to God’s presence:
- Get enough rest.
- Practice speaking more slowly.
- Eat more slowly, paying attention to the taste and texture of the food you are eating.
- Sit longer at the table, or around the campfire.
Plan buffer time between meetings with schedules.
Take more pauses in the day, time to sit still, collect yourself, rest briefly, take a few long breaths, pray.
Here are some breath prayers to try on this summer from Cole Arthur Riley.
INHALE: I deserve more than exhaustion.
EXHALE: I return home to myself.
INHALE: may I rest,
EXHALE: that I might dream.
INHALE: I’ve given enough.
EXHALE: I choose rest.
I hope you will join me this summer in an experiment in slowing, returning and rest, quietness, and trust.
—Pastor BJ