August 14th

There is so much turmoil and stress in lives these days. Schedules are tight. Transportation is difficult. Inflation is rampant. Relationships are strained. Noise is ever-present, usually at high levels. Peace and quiet are at a premium. When my children were small, and car-pools, school schedules, telephone calls, church events, and family meals all seemed to conflict, their father would say, “I think I’ll go back to my nice, quiet warehouse!” I learned to keep a quiet corner of myself available for refuge. It is always there where I meet my Master, who is so good at sorting out priorities and at helping me not to take it all or myself too seriously.

THE QUIET PLACE
When I feel pulled asunder
By this world’s hectic din,
When tumult, noise and thunder
Engulf and doubts begin,
I turn in awe and wonder
To that quiet place within.

For there, in that calm center,
God helps me to release
Disordered thoughts which enter
My mind and to increase
Calm poise, then to re-enter
His sphere of perfect peace.

Refreshed amid the silence,
I find in that sweet place
Renewal and a quiet sense
Of God’s great strength and grace,
And I, with greater confidence,
My daily life embrace.

Prayer: Remind me, Lord, of my quiet place when life gets hectic.