Response to Ryan Morrow Light from Many Lamps: Simplify, Simplify!

Reading Ryan Morrow‘s brilliant post was very timely for me. I have noticed a pattern in my life: work to exhaustion, become incapacitated, recover, then repeat. I am ashamed to say that this pattern has been happening for many years (the older I get, however, the longer the recover stage takes). I believe that there is wisdom in withdrawing from the busyness of daily life, and as Ryan aptly notes, Jesus modeled this in his life on earth. However our society tends to see this as the two-week vacation we take once a year to get away from it all. I have recently come to the realization that daily quiet time with God is hugely beneficial for re-focusing, clarifying purpose, and even rest. Having made this a regular part of my routine, I will next begin to implement a true Sabbath. Too often my weekends are simply a change from being busy with work, to being busy with other activities. I am starting to appreciate the value of spending time doing very little activity once per week. Like Ryan noted, life “can quickly allow me to become buried in the details of the urgent or distracted by things which shouldn’t be important” and regular times of solitude and reflection are as necessary as air and water for us to be able to function effectively in our lives.