We write poems about seeking solitude,
Those times when we find some beautiful place,
And leave all the daily stuff behind.
But what if that’s not possible?
What if I can’t get away?
And life just keeps buzzing around me?
Yet as I approach critical sress levels
Of sorrow and problem solving,
What if I still have no choice but to continue?
And, as usual, God has to remind me
As I frantically search for complex answers,
There is a simple one.
Child, He says,
(I hate it when God has to call me child)
When you can’t find solitude, seek quietude.
And in a moment of clarity I understand.
When we desperately seek solitude,
It is really quietude we are looking for.
It’s soul peace we long for.
And we discover physical peace
Doesn’t happen until we first experience it.
So, God, I understand. What now?
I can see The Father shake his head.
You already know.
You let our relationship get out of focus.
You put what others think before what’s best.
You let responsibilities overshadow the joy of service.
I know He’s right, and I look for moments
When I turn my attention toward Godly things,
And after some work, I rediscover the joy of simple quietude.
Posted by:
Jo Bower (Randall)
I play piano, write, publish, and struggle with being as good as possible at things I do. My husband has recently went from being a full-time pastor to a full-time hospice chaplain. (Compassionate Care Hospice of Alexandria) Life changed drastically, and I am still in the I can’t believe I really have time for myself stage. I have read everything I can get my hands on and am taking a break from all that has stressed me. God is good and faithful. +
We attend the First United Church of Alexandria and are slowly getting involved with its opportunities for service. Our Sunday School Class is wonderful..
Life has changed again, and we have come full circle, returning to Oklahoma City, Ok where we began our life together. We have a good place to live, family is close, and we are walking new paths physically and spiritually.
Again, God remains faithful and has led us to a church that accepted us and has extended opportunities for us to serve.
My life-long dream is to minister to people I will never meet. And my final goal in life is to be used up. When all is said and done, and I am no longer ‘in charge’ or able to appear in public, I will have given everything I have to give, and be content to let the world come to me.
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