Tuesday, Week 2 - Wake Up!

Now the moment for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we became believers" (Romans 13:11).

    Life contains continuous wake-up calls, alerting us to the moments that reveal another dimension of our true self. How will we hear these opportunities for growth unless we are vigilant? Healthy spirituality includes interior and exterior attentiveness. This alertness requires listening. Paying attention would seem to be one of the easier tasks of the spiritual life, but reality contradicts this presumption. If anything, listening becomes ever more challenging because of the clamor and burdens of our hurried days.
    How wonderful to have our heart be that "awake." Illness, depression, certain personality traits, overwhelming home and work responsibilities prevent us from a focused awareness. Being busy in itself is not a dreadful thing, but becomes a major stumbling block to our readiness to listen when it keeps us from being alert and responsive.

    But, is it really feasible not to be busy, if I want to succeed? I guess that depends on my definition of succeed. I totally agree that being so busy is the easiest way to forget about the bigger picture for weeks, months, even years at a time. For some reason, even though I'm fairly busy now with work, I've been blessed with the opportunity to push myself to pray on an (almost) nightly basis. Yes, I've missed some nights (I'm about 4 nights behind now!), but I have to be okay with my imperfections.
    So, how do I find a lifestyle that allows me to take the time every day, maybe even throughout the day, to focus on what really matters? What are the concrete steps I need to take to reach a place where I'm not too busy with other things? What things are okay for me to be busy with? What things are not okay for me to be busy with?
    Tonight, I got the chance to talk on the phone with an old friend (can't believe I'm even old enough to have "old friends"!). We quickly caught up on our lives' happenings, and settled on the topic of defining ones' self. We decided it's hugely important in life to become someone who is about something. To discern, and decide: What am I going to be all about? When people think of me, how do they think of me? How do I want to define myself?
    When someone asks of me, I don't want it to be said of me: "Oh, Alex? He's an accountant." Of course, it's true. And, there's nothing wrong with the field of work I've landed in. But I want to be known for something more. I want to focus, really focus on something that means more to me, something I can dedicate myself to, to the point that it becomes my identity over my job. I don't know what that is yet, but I know it's just a matter of time, patience, listening, before I get there.