There is a well circulated story of a group of explorers who hired porters to take their supplies into the interior of an African country. The pace and progress of their journey was murderous. After several days the explorers came to a place on the trail and discovered that the porters were sitting on their burdens and could not be coaxed to move. An animated negotiation ensued. The explorers used every argument and enticement at their disposal. The porters protested that they could not move because the pace had gone so rapidly that they had outdistanced their souls. They would only move, they said, when their souls caught up with them.
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There are occasions our pursuit of goals and the pace of activity depletes us of perspective and energy. At such time the emphasis upon “doing” negates the importance of “being.” Doing and being, progress and process, and action and reflection are dynamic tensions in our lives. They must be balanced if we are to “gain the whole world” without “losing our souls.” We must learn how to take responsibility for not only what we do for God but how well we reach worthy goals. Qualitative results must not be sacrificed for quantitative pursuit. Message can easily be voided by method.
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People are like high maintenance machines and require as much fine tuning for their journey to the “stars” as do space vehicles. Spiritual development should never be taken for granted. It requires the utmost of attention.
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When we fail to seek God it is comforting to know He seeks us and that even our seeking of Him that He is seeking us.
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If we do not practice stillness in our lives, we will be robbed of our liberty and led by the most confident piper on the scene.
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Stillness is not reading a good book or even active praying. It is a condition of quiet of body and soul until the still soft voice of God is impressed upon our consciences and minds.
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God often does not get our attention until we are ruffled and disturbed. When we grow disturbed enough we give up trying to find our answers. It is there that we quiet ourselves and ask God the right questions.
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