inspiration 101

In his novel “The Moviegoer,” Southern writer Walker Percy writes of Binx Bolling, a young stockbroker in post-WWII New Orleans. Binx seeks his inner self through relationships, movies and books.

In his words, it is, “The search anyone would undertake if he were not sunk in the everydayness of his own life.”

In my role as an “Outside-Insighter,” I encounter men and women daily who are “sunk in the everydayness” of life.

Unlike Binx, most of them don’t searching for an antidote to everydayness. They’ve merely accepted it as a way of life, often having abandoned their dreams and life’s calling. Rather than improving their lives, they have simply increased the speed of it.

It doesn’t have to be this way. Just running on the treadmill of “to do” lists was never God’s intention for you.

In our lives, we tend to turn up the speed on the treadmill until we deprive ourselves of oxygen, fanning the flames of busyness until we collapse on the treadmill.

Jesus retreated in prayer. The Bible tells us, “The news about him spread all the more, so that crowds of people came to hear him and to be healed of their sicknesses. But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed (Luke 5:15-16).”

Jesus made it a regular practice to turn down the pace that others had set for Him, By doing so He was able to hear clearly from God the Father. This provided Him with clarity of purpose in His mission.

What action do you need to exchange everydayness for the abundant life Christ offers us? If you sense that something is missing you won’t find it by running faster, or in relationships, or in movies or books.

You’ll find it by slowing down to do what Jesus did. Withdraw from everydayness to a quiet place to pray. Turn off your car radio, pause on your social media feeds and tune in to the author of our faith.

If this idea makes you uncomfortable, don’t be surprised. It’s countercultural. So was Jesus. His professional teaching career lasted a mere 3 years yet he took time to retreat for solitude with His Father.

As of 2010, Pew Research reported that He now has over 2.2 billion followers. The time He spent in prayer paid off.

What have you accomplished in the last 3 years trying to do it all on your own? We were never meant to live this way.

What would happen if you stopped running and started resting? Turn down the speed others have set for you and spend some quality time with Him today. You’ll be refreshed with a renewed sense of purpose.

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