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Find a Quiet Place

by Andrew Correli

I don't know if I'd call my family religious, but there really is a focus on Church and Jesus and all. In fact, I can remember a time when the question "what would Jesus do?" seemed to pop up almost daily. It seems like lots of people use that question to guide their dealings with others (or at least that's what they say), but I think I've found something that they often overlook.

Run Away! Run Away!

A while ago, things were getting really crazy at home and at school. There just wasn't enough time in the day to do everything that I wanted to do! It was starting to get me down. Then one day, for some reason, I sat down and asked myself that question. When Jesus was feeling this way, what did he do?

I'm not exactly a theologian or biblical scholar, but even I knew the answer to that one! When things got all crazy and hectic on Jesus, and he just needed to concentrate in order figure out what to do, he simply went away.

Yup. That's it (generally speaking). Jesus realized that even a great teacher like himself needed time to collect his thoughts and decide a course of action. So he would go away to a quiet place -- a hilltop, mountain, cave, or garden -- and pray. He'd hang-out in the peace and quiet, and just talk to his father.

So that's what I decided to do. I drove my car out to a state park nearby and took a hike through some of the trails in the woods. Out in nature, away from all of the craziness of my everyday life, I was able to just relax. And when I relaxed, I felt almost instantly closer to God.

Shut Up and Listen

In the past, my prayers have almost always been me actually talking to God, Jesus, Mary, or one of the saints. Not out loud necessarily, but always at least doing what I believe is called subvocalization. I would actually say the words in my mind and attempt to have a silent conversation with God.

This time though, out in the woods, I didn't pray like that. I decided not to do the talking. It was like I realized for the first time that I don't have to tell everything to God because he already knows it! In fact, He understands my troubles and worries far better than I do. So I just shut my mouth, quieted my thoughts, and listened to what God had to say.

My mind wandered slowly from one thing to another. I thought about an argument with a friend. Then I remembered a lie I had told my parents. I experienced the worry I had felt about one final exam in particular, and then explored the fear and excitement of becoming a senior.

Throughout my walk, I simply thought about all these things. I didn't try to figure them out -- I just saw them, remembered them, and felt them. Then I let them go. I placed them in God's hands and it was like a burden had been lifted.

When I got back into my car, I didn't have any wonderful solutions to my problems. I had a couple ideas on things I would try, but I hadn't experienced any great revelations. Yet somehow, for some reason, I knew that things were going to be okay. I just knew that I would make it through and everything would turn out just fine. God had spoken to my heart, and my mind had been quiet enough to listen.

The next time you feel overwhelmed by the craziness of life, remember what Jesus did. He went to a quiet place and spent time with God. So find your quiet place, away from the hustle and bustle, and go spend some time with Jesus. And don't forget to quiet your mind. Let Jesus do the talking. He's got some incredible things to say!

Life Applications:

What do you do when life gets too crazy and hectic?
How do you pray? Do you "talk" to God in your mind?
Has God ever "spoken" to you in some form or another?

Copyright 2002 by Brandon Jubar
All rights reserved.