To be Relieved of our Plenty

My husband and I recently returned to our old habit of what we called, “Happy Hour Devotions.”  We pop a beer or pour a glass of wine and read and discuss some sort of devotional material.  This time around we are reading, Meditations on the Monk Who Dwells in Daily Life, by Thomas Moore.  I have a first edition of the book and noticed that it was written in 1940.  So we were blown away when we read these lines from the very first reading in the book:

“Modern life is becoming so full that we need our own ways of going to the desert to be relieved of our plenty.  (Love that image – relieved of our plenty).  Our heads are crammed with information, our lives busy with activities, our cities stuffed with automobiles, our imaginations bloated on pictures and images, our relationships heavy with advice, our jobs burdened with endless new skills, our homes cluttered with gadgets and conveniences.  We honor productivity to such an extent that the unproductive person or day seems a failure.”

Written in 1940!  Wonder what Moor would think of today’s modern world?

So, let me ask you, when was the last time you spent a quiet hour just thinking?  I propose that it is impossible to find inspiration for life without some think time.  To learn about an inspiring life, to find inspiration for a new creation, a new product.  To find our creator we must be in silence before her