Just being.
This is a time for just being.
Time is a gift,
just as nature is a gift –
a gift for just being;
being one with the chatter of birds,
the hum of the freeway in the distance,
one with the sunlight through the gnarled oaks
playing patterns on the path,
one with majestic sandstone rocks
rising through pallets of green and yellow on the hillside.
Nature is a gift,
a gift for just being.
Time is a gift,
a gift for just being:
time away from the need to consume –
all but the essentials.
time away from the need to be
constantly doing, producing, achieving;
time away from the blare of the daily news cycle.
Time is a gift,
time to think:
What is my purpose?
Why am I here?
This is a time for just being –
being in the present,
letting go of the past,
and fears of the future.
Just being:
with family and friends –
across the room,
or across the miles-
laughing together on a little screen.
Time to relish those relationships.
Time to re-discover what is really important,
and what is not.
Time to discover God’s presence in the everyday;
in a simple act of kindness,
in a stranger’s smile and
“Hello, beautiful day, isn’t it?”
in an unexpected call from a long, lost friend:
“Just checking in.”
in a song that brings a tear to the eye,
in a story of sharing and goodness that brings hope.
Time is a gift,
a gift of listening:
to the voice of God making its way
through the clutter of our crowded brains
telling us to stop!
take time for just being –
here in the present –
quiet enough to re-ignite
that spark of our true selves,
planted by God deep within us.
Just being.
It can change us,
and then our world.
It’s God’s gift to us.
Suggested questions for reflection (individual or in dialogue) after listening to the poem:
* Do you ever walk alone in nature? How does it make you feel?
* How do you listen for the voice of God?
* Where have you discovered God’s presence in your everyday life?
Susan has kindly allowed Worship Words to share some items from her book, Re-imagining Worship, available for purchase online.
Click here to learn more about Susan Brecht and her book.
