Taking Time To Seek Your Sacred Place
It seems like our time is becoming more and more sacred. We are beginning to realize that we are being consumed by our work, social media, binge watching, etc. which is causing our time to be limited. I have found that many people have been wrestling with ways to get their time back.
I have actually taken steps to do the same. Recently, I decided to set time limits on my social media. When I looked at how much time I was spending staring at a screen, I knew I had to make some changes. I chose to set the limits and it has been astounding what I have regained in my time with my wife, my kids, and myself. Not to mention, my thumbs aren’t as sore.
It’s obvious what I mean when I have regained time with my wife and kids. Conversations are deeper, playtime is more meaningful, and I feel more connected with them.
However, it may not be as clear as to what I mean by regaining time for myself. So, I am going to take some time to work that out and, hopefully, it will help you in your journey of regaining time in your life.
When I decided to set my time limits, I realized that I had no idea what to do with my time when my phone was out of my hands. I used the phone to read the bible in my bible app. I used my phone to write. I used my phone to connect with friends. What was I to do, now that I put the device down?
The first thing I did was go and search for a sacred place. I am not merely speaking of going to church or temple, but truly finding a place that I can breathe freely. It’s incredible what can be experienced when you just breathe.
At times, I found myself holding my breath. I found myself holding my shoulders in tension while reading news on Twitter or Facebook. I was uneasy. I needed to relax.
So, I found a rock by a river, just 20 minutes from my home, I was able to sit and listen to the flow of the water, experience birds chirping in the wild, and breathe. I was able to inhale and exhale in a spot where I was disconnected from everything, but nature.
We have all lost something along the way. Our ability to rest has been lost. Our ability to truly listen and watch what is going on around us, has been lost.
A prime example, recently my church did a family camping trip for a weekend, which is where I found my restful rock. We took our worship service to the mountains and spent some time connecting together. In one conversation, a couple of ladies shared with me, they felt guilty for not doing anything. They were sitting in their chairs, relaxing, and they looked nervous. I asked them, “Are you both okay?” One of them replied, “We are tired. We haven’t been doing anything, but we are tired. We feel guilty that we haven’t been doing something. It’s like, we know we should be relaxing, but we have been busy for so long, we don’t know how to do this.” We all laughed.
This is telling of who we are as a society. We have been so busy for so long, that we don’t know how to relax. We don’t know how to rest. We don’t know how to seek the sacred spaces for our time.
The sacred has been defined for us, we have not been able to define it for ourselves.
Does any of this ring true for you? Is there something inside of you that is saying, “Man, I wish I could find a sacred space. I don’t know how.”
Can I encourage you to think deeper about finding a sacred space? It doesn’t have to be deep.
You don’t have to climb a stairway on a mountainside to be amongst the clouds. You don’t have to sit by a river. You don’t have to sit in silence, just to gain appreciation for the sound of a whisper. (A Knight’s Tale, anyone?)
All you have to do is find 5 minutes, turn off the devices, take out the pods, shut off the television, and sit. Walk outside of your office and leave your phone at the desk. Sit on your rooftop at night and stare at the stars. Park your car in a parking lot, turn the car off, and turn off the phone. Breathe. A sacred place can be anywhere you are able to refocus and breathe.
The key element: breathe and refocus.
You may actually find something you have lost over time. You may rediscover a dream you had forgotten. You may remember a book you wanted to write. You may just discover, you have been too busy, and you have allowed yourself to be forgotten in the process.
Take time to regain time. Take time to search for a sacred space. Take time to find yourself again.
