(audio)
(Our attention is limited. Life is about what we give
ourselves to. Attention is a precious gift).
Position – where?
When? – where are we in the story of the universe? - Missionary, Jim Elliot, in
his journals said: “Wherever you are, be all there” – be present here now,
breathing – don’t live in the past nor in the future
Identity – who are
you? – appearance? Posessions? (a person’s life does not consist in the abundance
of posessions) – Titus 3 – achievements? Connections? Reputation? – what others
think of me? What I think others think of me? – 2 Cor 5:17 – In X, new
creation! – Jn 15, Jesus’ friend, a friend of the king of kings – Rm 8, God is
my father, I am a child of the almighty creator God, a slave / solider of
Christ, in the image of God, X’s sheep, (part of) the bride of Christ etc.
Environment – who
or what is with you / surrounds you? So often surrounded by noise, colours,
flicking images! – Who is above, beneath, below, in front of and behind you? –
who is our only real circumstance? The one who is around us. In him we live and
move and have our being. Ps 139. God is inescapable. Nicholas Herman, Brother
Lawrence, 17th C monk, Practicing the presence of God. God is closer
to us than we are to ourselves. Realising the presence of God. The company we keep
affects us. Ps 16. 2 Tim 4 – The Lord stood by my side. J promised to be with
us (by his Spirit). Coram Deo – Luther, all life lived before the presence of
God.
People – relate
to others – attend to them – don’t interrupt! – listen! – don’t just mentally
prepare what you are going to say next – make every effort to hear what someone
is saying, try to think what it is like to be them and to understand them –
look at them, listen to the pace and tone of the words, the gap between them,
watch. Stand in someone else’s shoes, put yourself in their position. Why did
someone do that? What is driving them? – Jesus became incarnate, he chose to
stand in our nature. He really understands. He sympathises. (Hebrews) Jesus
even welcomes little ones, Mk 10. Jesus gives them the gift of attention.
Objects – 1 Tim 4 – all stuff is good and not to be rejected if received with thanksgiving. Amazement – wow, it’s so much richer than I thought. Notice the different colours. Stop and notice. Really taste the wine. Attend to detail. No two noses are identical. We live in a fantastically rich world of sights, tastes, touches, smells, sounds etc. The wonder of a toddler. Relish. Heaven above is deeper blue… something lives in every hue, Christless eyes have never seen. Look at the lines in your hand. Gratitude. Contentment. The hedonistic fallacy – x will make me happy. Buyer’s remorse then boredom. We are much richer than we think. Nietzsche – “possessions are generally diminished by possession”. The generosity of God. Taste something really slowly today.
Alexandra Horowitz, On Looking: Eleven Walks With Expert Eyes
– with her toddler, dog, suergeon, sign-writer, geologist, architect etc. noticing
different things
Feelings – be aware
of emotions and pay attention to them – one of the best ways to get rid of an
emotion is to get rid of it – curiosity can drive out happiness. Why am I
feeling like this? Step away. We are not simply our emotions. Try not “I am sad”
but “I feel sad”. Don’t identify with your emotions – interrogate them. Which
of these ambush us and why? Self-pity, envy, grumpiness, anger, fear. What do
we say to ourselves when these emotions confront us? How can we counter them?
Help the police with their enquiries into these negative emotions. Jesus said
to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” Sometimes we do well to ask ourselves,
why are you angry? Why are you grumpy? Etc. Jesus wept – it is not a sin to be
sad. Righteous sadness is not the worst thing in the world.
Activities – what
are you doing?
God – Give yourself
to God. Between ascension and Pentecost, sit in the city and wait. Sometimes it’s
important to do nothing. “Quiet time”. What is the Bible saying to me? How
should I pray in the light of it? What difference should this make to my day?
Space for the echoes of the word of God. Where will the water flow? God gives
us sleep & Sabbath. Wilderness – X, Moses. Find a point when you can be
quiet in the presence of God with your Bible.
Bill Bright, founder of US Campus Crusade for Christ, “spiritual
breathing” – breathing out as a sign of repentance of sin, breathing in as a
prayer for filling with the Holy Spirit
Ps 46
Calming of the storm
Mary & Martha – Lk 10
Ecc 5
Eph 5 – wise living is careful being aware, circumspection
To remember PIE PO PAG we might think of a red telly tubby
eating a delicious handheld meal with a pastry crust and then smoking a 1970s cigarette.
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