Center Down

He leads me beside quiet waters.
He restores my soul;
- Psalm 23:2-3

Shhhhhhhhhhh. It's ok.

This week at LifePath Church we are exploring the spiritual practice of silence and solitude with God. It is both a challenge and an immense gift. Jesus wants to bring restoration to us and increase relational connection with us. And it happens when we slow down enough to be found by him. 

As we considered how Jesus leads us to quiet stillness in a world of busyness and noise, I ended my message on Sunday with a poem from the great American theologian and scholar Howard Thurman. His emphasis on the contemplative life with God formed the basis of his nonviolent work for justice and equality. His classes and writing inspired a young Martin Luther King, Jr. during formative years. Dr. King even had a copy of one of Thurman's books in his suit pocket throughout the Montgomery bus boycott. 

Influenced by Quaker spirituality, Thurman deeply valued the way that God transforms a disciple through silence and stillness. He called it, "Centering Down" and he found it deeply joyful. So today, I invite you to center down as well, and quietly connect with God through Thurman's poetic words, soaked in a life of faithfulness to Jesus. And perhaps you can take a few moments afterward to simply be still. 

How Good to Center Down 
by Howard Thurman 

How good it is to center down!
To sit quietly and see one’s self pass by!
The streets of our minds seethe with endless traffic;
Our spirits resound with clashings, with noisy silences,
While something deep within hungers and thirsts for the still moment
               and the resting lull.
With full intensity we seek, ere the quiet passes, a fresh sense
               of order in our living;
A direction, a strong sure purpose that will structure our confusion
                and bring meaning in our chaos.
We look at ourselves in this waiting moment –
               the kinds of people we are.
The questions persist:  what are we doing with our lives? –
              what are the motives that order our days?
What is the end of our doings?
Where are we trying to go?
Where do we put the emphasis and where are our values focused?
For what end do we make sacrifices?
Where is my treasure and what do I love most in life?
What do I hate most in life and to what am I true?
Over and over the questions beat in upon the waiting moment.
As we listen, floating up through all the jangling echoes of our turbulence,
             there is a sound of another kind –
A deeper note which only the stillness of the heart makes clear.
It moves directly to the core of our being.  
Our questions are answered,
Our spirits refreshed, and we move back into the traffic of our daily round
With the peace of the Eternal in our step.
How good it is to center down!

Jesus, let me sink deeply into you today, with a growing awareness of my inner self and your constant presence. 
 
Peace,
Keith

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