"Soul Catch-Up" Day Revisited

As promised, today's RST is a revisit of one we sent out several months ago--it's based on a thought by John Fischer from PurposeDrivenLife.com...


"Be still, and know that I am God" Psalm 46:10

There is a story reportedly from the writings of Rabbi Kushner about a group of tourists who went on a safari in Africa and hired several native porters to carry their supplies for them. After three days, the porters announced they would have to stop and rest for a day. When the tourists inquired as to why this was (they did not appear to be tired) the porters confirmed that fatigue was not the reason: 'but we have walked too far too fast and now we must wait for our souls to catch up to us.' Interesting thought...

The soul is the part of us that longs for deeper things, that longs for God, that tells us how spiritually hungry we are. It's also the part that guides us and reminds us of Truth. For David, the psalmist, his soul was like his inner compass that told him the right way to go. He often stopped and listened to his soul. Over and over again, he says his soul is thirsty (Psalm 107:9), it longs for God (Psalm 143:6), his soul cries out for salvation (Psalm 119:81), and it recognizes the truth about himself, that he is fearfully and wonderfully made (Psalm 139:14), and therefore there is Someone, the Maker, in a perfect position to suggest that weekly rest from 'the same old same old' is beneficial and even necessary for a healthy soul.

Have we worked so hard and moved so fast that we can't hear from our consciences anymore? Take some time--in fact, if you're not doing it yet, consider taking some time every week, as our Designer recommends--and see if your stress level and mental state and ability to see things more clearly doesn't improve. Interestingly, God gives this idea as much importance as not murdering or stealing--check out Exodus 20:8,9, right smack in the middle of the 10 commandments: "Remember to observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days a week are set apart for your daily duties and regular work, but the seventh day is a day of rest dedicated to the LORD your God."

Hmmm...God knew then (as He for certain does now) that we need to come away for a bit every week and let our souls catch up with the rest of our harried and stressed-out selves, and rest, truly rest. How cool is that?

You've been prayed for today.

Replies Regarding 'Seekers' (which we all ought to be, right?) and Steady Footing (Ps 37)

Hey, Y'all,

Today we're hearing back from a couple of you who responded to the last RST--but first, a short bonus RST from Psalm 37 entitled "Steady Footing"

If the LORD delights in a man's way,
he makes his steps firm;

though he stumble, he will not fall,
for the LORD upholds him with his hand.

The word of his God is in his heart;
therefore his feet do not slip.

I was young and now I am old,
yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken.

Awesome...Now on with the replies--first, the one from Becky:

"Good thoughts! Thanks for sharing. . . Yup, you are right! I finally got it about 2 years ago: "Seek first His things. . . and all these other things will be added to you" [Matthew 6:33,34]. It's really quite simple, but we, who live in a complicated society, feel as though we must do something to earn that salvation. So what do we do? We go and complicate it all up and struggle with it and hash it over and over and over. How crazy is that!! Anyway, just keep on seeking, right?"

And from Mike R:

"Really liked the idea here. Christ was the epitomy of patience and kindness in dealing with people who hadn't "gotten it" yet. And here I may be feeling huffy and impatient with people AND I'M JUST AS FALLIBLE AND MIGHT HAVE IT ALL WRONG MYSELF!! He was divine, knew He was divine, knew He was right, and STILL was more winsome and kind than I am at times. Anyway, that's a good reminder, thanks."

Thank you both for sharing your thoughts with the list. Here's hoping y'all have a restful weekend and a Happy Sabbath (more on that tomorrow AM!)--you've each been prayed for today.

Good News Seeking and Finding

Today's RST is based on a thought by John Fischer from PurposeDrivenLife.com...

Need some good news? Here's some: those who seek God are given the benefit of the doubt--that if they seek Him, they will find Him. This is actually a promise in scripture: "He rewards those who earnestly seek Him" (Hebrews 11:6 NIV).

This BTW is why those of us who are already getting to know Him don't have to jump all over those who are seeking Him when they get something wrong or don't put it in exactly the right words or perhaps don't see things our way. If they are truly seeking, they will find Him--and it will be God who opens their eyes anyway. We need to support people, to respect the search of those who are seeking, and to not get impatient with them or think of them as slow or foolish for not seeing what we see.

When it's time, they will--or maybe we'll wind up seeing things their way...

You've been prayed for today...

Bonus Pseudo-RST -- Great Minds...

Hey, Y'all,

Today's bonus thought, thought not particularly spiritual, is a little anonymous quote that I run into periodically and never fails to get me thinking--hope it does the same for you:

Great minds discuss ideas;
average minds can discuss events;
small minds can only discuss people.

You've been prayed for today...

Philippians 4:6&7

Today's RST was a recent verse of the day at BibleGateway.com--I never get sick of this one...

Philippians 4:6&7

(New Living Translation...)
Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. If you do this, you will experience God's peace, which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.


(New International Version...)
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.


You've been prayed for today...

Excellent Essay -- "Learning Patience"

Hey, Y'all,

Unbelievably, another week is already drawing to a close and another Sabbath's rest is at last on the horizon (or, if not Sabbath for you, perhaps your weekend promises at least the chance of a break or at least a Super Bowl!!)--either way, thank God, huh?

Today's RST (thanks Mike R!) is a little longer than most but it's well-written (and an easy read) and it has so little fluff and hangs together so well that I didn't want to break it up into a series of thoughts...anyway, after that no doubt mildly perplexing glimpse into an editor's mind here's a key quote: "Never think that God's delays are God's denials. Hold on; Hold fast; Hold out. Patience is genius."

You've been prayed for today...Happy Sabbath, and have a nice weekend.

Learning Patience

Lord, grant me patience (and, of course, I need it NOW!)

Patience is the ability to wait for the fruition of our goals. Or, as the ancient philosopher Epictetus is reported to have said nearly 2,000 years ago, "Nothing great is created suddenly, any more than a bunch of grapes or a fig. If you tell me that you desire a fig. I answer you that there must be time. Let it first blossom, then bear fruit, then ripen." It takes time to do worthwhile things, so those who lack the patience to persist will fail to accomplish much. Do we want to develop as much of our potential as possible? If so, we'll have to learn how to be patient.

Being patient doesn't mean sitting around waiting for things to happen. Instead, it means to work as hard and as long as necessary, without giving up, until we reach our destination. The ancient Egyptians didn't sit around waiting. They made plans, preparations, and worked on their project until the pyramids were completed. The pyramids, then, are monuments to patience. They are a reminder that if we persist in our personal projects while enduring the necessary wait, we will finally succeed. After getting their fill of mulberry leaves, silkworms make silk cocoons, which the Chinese and Japanese used to weave silk gowns and kimonos. That explains the Chinese proverb, "With time and patience the mulberry leaf becomes a silk gown." Clearly, patience is power.

Patience is not only about enduring a long wait, it is also about enduring insults, provocation, and mistreatment without resentment, anger, or bitterness. Why put up with abuse? Because patience is also an expression of compassion. Because we are compassionate, we tolerate the faults of others. Because we are strong and they are weak, we accept their abuse with a smile and wish them well.

Buddhists commonly refer to patience as armor that protects the compassionate person from the barbs and verbal attacks of others. Interestingly, Leonardo Da Vinci had a similar idea, for he wrote, "Patience serves as a protection against wrongs as clothes do against cold. For if you put on more clothes as the cold increases, it will have no power to hurt you. So in like manner you must grow in patience when you meet with great wrongs, and they will be powerless to vex your mind."

Almost all violence stems from anger, and patience often has the power to neutralize it. So, patience is a tool of the peacemaker. To eliminate possible misunderstanding, let me give one example of patiently accepting abuse and then contrast it with an example in which impatience is warranted.

In the first example, let's say my supervisor at work always treats me condescendingly. Regardless how hard I work, he treats me without respect. Yet, I patiently bear his abuse. Why? Because I recognize he is a fellow human being. A human being with pain. Perhaps he feels threatened by my performance. Perhaps the source of his cruel remarks is fear. In other words, his abuse exposes him as the weakling he is. Instead of kicking a weak person by fighting back, shouldn't I be compassionate? After all, if I bear my abuser's cruelty with a smile, he may eventually learn that I am not a threat. If so, instead of upsetting him, I would have uplifted him. And by doing so, I would have made the world a better place.

However, at times, impatience is called for. For example, we must not tolerate child abuse or wife beating. Also, anything greater than zero tolerance of violence must not be permitted in our schools. Although abusers are sick and in need of help, our compassion is first directed toward their victims, who are in immediate need of help. After the victims are rescued, we can try to rehabilitate the abuser.

A society based on consumerism boosts profits by preaching the doctrine of impatience. "Don't wait; act now! Don't wait until you can afford it; buy it now with a credit card! Why prepare for your future by working hard for many years when you can strike it rich NOW by winning the lottery or a casino jackpot?"

Patience is out the window and instant gratification is banging on our door. When we abandon patience, we abandon self-discipline. A world without either is a world without Mozart, Thomas Edison, or Tiger Woods. It is also a world without Olympic Gold Medal winners, astronauts, professors, corner pharmacists, auto mechanics and countless other members of industry, trade, and the arts.

Can you think of anything worthwhile that can be achieved without giving up immediate gratification for long-term gain?

In a single day we can be faced with countless irritations: someone tailgates you on your way to work; someone cuts in front of you while you're waiting in line at the post office; coworkers chat and laugh loudly in the next cubicle while you're conducting a business phone call; you're going out with friends tonight, but they show up an hour late, or you're cooking dinner when you're suddenly interrupted by a telemarketer. I'm sure you can think of many other examples. So, what do we do when we encounter an endless stream of minor irritants? Well, we can choose to become upset or we can choose to follow the example of oysters. They use an irritating grain of sand to create a glittering pearl. We can use our irritating experiences to create pearls of forgiveness, pearls of compassion, and pearls of understanding.

Learning to accept minor irritations prepares us to endure major ones. Those who lack patience find minor irritations or suffering unbearable. However, those who have mastered patience find great suffering tolerable. Patience has great impact on our happiness, for how can those who are upset and constantly complain be happy? Those who are always angry withdraw from the world; they curse the world. But those who are patient are peacemakers who embrace the world, bless it, and thank it for the opportunity to create pearls.

How can we expect to have others accept our weaknesses unless we are willing to accept theirs? Patience, then, is about respect for others. It is when we interact with others that we come to understand ourselves. For when we act with patience and understanding, that's what we become. And when we act with impatience and anger, that's what we are.

How can we commit to a relationship unless we have patience? Patience binds, heals, and supports relationships. Impatience is divisive. It severs friendships, dissolves marriages, breaks up families, and breaks hearts. So, patience is also about maturity. Patient people do not throw away pets and possessions or relationships and responsibilities simply because things aren't working out as originally expected. Patient people bring out the best in them. Impatient people bring out the beast in them.

You say you're not as patient as you would like to be? Not to worry, just be patient, for patience comes to those who wait. Aren't all things difficult before they become easy? My final words on patience are taken from the eighteenth-century French naturalist, Georges-Louis Leclerc Buffon (1707-1788), "The ability to accept delay. Or disappointment. To smile at setbacks and respond with a pleasant, understanding spirit. To remain calm while others around are uneasy. This is Godly patience. Never think that God's delays are God's denials. Hold on; Hold fast; Hold out. Patience is genius."

Chuck Gallozzi

RtRSTs (Truly Random Spiritual Thoughts in their own right) and Blog News

Well, January's over--if you can believe that!--and we're already into the second month of '06 (now THAT's hard to believe!), so, keeping that in mind--as well as Webmaster Jose's inspirational words--

"Yo! Why don't you just send out the web address [for the blog]? We can fix the editing thing later. Don't let Yahoo [and your lack of skill :-)] slow God down"


--we're launching "RSTs: The Blog." Yep, I've been assimilated (resistance was futile :-) You'll find a couple of months' worth of RSTs archived there (eventually they will all be uploaded there and you will be able to search them by keyword or topic--and they'll look a little cleaner once I figure out how to spiff them up and edit them and get rid of the automatically posted advertising and other minor technical flaws--which were my personal hangup).

Check it out--and thanks again Jose for the idea and the execution (as well as the "words of encouragement" that have gotten this blog off the ground at last ), and thanks today to Olya, for your "RtRSTs"--see below--pretty cool...

RtRST - Reply to Random Spiritual Thoughts:

Make me a captive, Lord,

And then I shall be free;

Force me to render up my sword,

And I shall a conqueror be.

I sink in life's alarms

When by myself I stand;

Imprison me within Thine arms,

And strong shall be my hand.

- George Matheson

Only to sit and think of God,

Oh what a joy it is!

To think the thought, to breathe the Name

Earth has no higher bliss.

- Frederick W. Faber

You've been prayed for today...