Friday, February 13
Consider the lilies, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin; yet I tell you Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these.
—Luke 12:27
Roth describes this state of living in the present wishlessness, and it reminds me of Jesus' words about the lilies of the field, how they neither toil nor spin. I think of how much I toil and spin, and hope to do something about that.
There
are many ways to practice this state of being wishless or mindful. One way to
begin is to vow to do only one thing at a time, an increasingly difficult goal
in this multi-tasking society. Last year for Lent, I "gave up"using a cell
phone in my car, and you would not believe the difference it made (or maybe you
would).
Other ways to practice this kind of
mindfulness/wishlessness are
- walking without any mechanical devices (try it!)
- sitting perfectly still for five full minutes (perhaps with a lighted candle) without reading, watching television or answering the telephone
- eating a meal alone without reading anything and without music or television.
These simple yet amazingly difficult exercises are the key to living with wishlessness.
God of all things, great and small, give us the discipline to become more present to the wonders of life. Amen.
These Signposts originally appeared on explorefaith in 2006.