Too busy to be aware of God?

by Joyce Rupp on Dec. 04, 2010
Do not fear, O Zion;
do not let your hands grow weak.
The Lord, your God, is in your midst.
               —Zephaniah 3:16-17

Could there be any better time than Advent to focus on and remember that God dwells in our midst? I find it particularly necessary to be aware of God’s nearness when I am zooming through December, busy about too many things.

It is easy to get swallowed up by my anxiety or discouragement, knowing that I am unable to do all the planning and preparations I would like to do before Christmas comes.

I draw inspiration and encouragement when I recognize that the one whose birth I am preparing to celebrate dwells in the midst of all my activities and relationships. I have only to open my inner eyes and recognize the presence of God in the love, joy, care, concern, honesty and peace of those around me.

I also need to be mindful of how God is present in those who have very little joy because of their physical or mental condition, financial deprivation or the violence of their political situation. It is here that I meet the suffering Christ.

Busyness dulls my awareness of the presence of Emmanuel. Excessive attention to material things lessens my bond with God. God is with me, if only I slow down long enough to look and see.

Emmanuel, God-with-us,
let me not be discouraged.
You are in my life.
I will slow down so I can find you there.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

SIGN UP NOW to receive an e-email alert each week directing you to Sr. Joyce Rupp’s reflections.

Want to know more about Sister Joyce Rupp? Visit her website.

Visit Ave Maria Press for a full selection of books by Sr. Joyce Rupp

Thank you for your gentle

Submitted by Fr. Nick de Groot (not verified) on Dec. 06, 2010.

Thank you for your gentle words and your faithful contribution to NCR. May God's peace be there for you this Christma and always. Nick

I really appreciate this

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Dec. 06, 2010.

I really appreciate this reflection. In a world where people get busier and busier and more rushed going here and there... we really need to get in touch with the stillness within... where God made himself small to enter our heart and remain there.. A stillpoint where the flow of life begins and ends.

Post new comment

NCR Comment code:

  1. Be respectful. Do not attack the writer. Take on the idea, not the messenger.
  2. Use appropriate language. Avoid vulgarities and slurs.
  3. Keep to the point. Deliberate digressions don't aid the discussion.

For more detailed guidelines, visit our User Guidelines page.

The content of this field is kept private and will not be shown publicly.
(if you have one; if not, leave this blank)
  • Web page addresses and e-mail addresses turn into links automatically.
  • Allowed HTML tags: <a> <em> <strong> <cite> <code> <ul> <ol> <li> <dl> <dt> <dd> <font> <swf> <swf list>
  • Lines and paragraphs break automatically.
  • You may use <swf file="song.mp3"> to display Flash files inline

More information about formatting options

CAPTCHA
This is to prove you are a human visitor and to prevent automated spam submissions.
Image CAPTCHA
Enter the characters shown in the image.