Great Plains Daily Devotional for 8/1/2021

Come and find the quiet center in the crowded life we lead,
find the room for hope to enter, find the frame where we are freed:
clear the chaos and the clutter, clear our eyes, that we can see all the things that really matter,
be at peace, and simply be.

Silence is a friend who claims us, cools the heat and slows the pace,
God it is who speaks and names us, knows our being, touches base,
making space within our thinking, lifting shades to show the sun,
raising courage when we're shrinking, finding scope for faith begun.

In the Spirit let us travel, open to each other's pain,
let our loves and fears unravel, celebrate the space we gain:
there's a place for deepest dreaming, there's a time for heart to care,
in the Spirit's lively scheming there is always room to spare!

 

BY SHIRLEY ERENA MURRAY Words © 1992, 2005 Hope Publishing Company, 380 S Main Pl, Carol Stream, IL 60188

When I find myself in distress or completely overwhelmed there is a place I can go where as soon as I enter, I can feel my blood pressure drop and a calm come over me.

It’s Barnes & Noble.

There is something soothing to me about the hushed atmosphere of a bookstore. And while I’m sure you can get the same feeling at the library, I’m terrible at returning books on time.

At Barnes & Noble, the books are in a specific order appealing to my “ducks in a row” tendencies, the sections are clearly marked, and all the new goodies are on display. Roaming from section to section to see old friends and find new ones, seeing what others have recommended and looking for a gorgeous cover that invites me to open and read the summary to see if a new friend is coming home with me calms my anxiety and soothes my soul.

I realize bookstores don’t have this effect on everyone, but for me they are a quiet center. The ambiance shushes my fears and anxiety, allows me to revel in the familiar and explore new adventures all in one place. My mind can quiet and be at peace before walking back out those doors to real life.

I can and do often experience this feeling in my church sanctuary but it’s good to know there are other places I can go to find my quiet center when things get overwhelming and chaotic. This is a place where God and I can meet outside of church, to be at peace with one another and regain the balance I’ve lost.

Do you have a place outside of church that speaks to you in this way? Or is there a space you retreat to when you need to seek the quite center?
 

Prayer for Reflection

2 Samuel 11:26-12:13a
Psalm 51:1-12 (UMH 785)
Ephesians 4:1-16
John 6:24-35