That’s the title of the chapter I read at lunch yesterday from the Posers, Fakers & Wannabes book. Talked about the importance of being alone with God, solitude. I’ve noticed that Manning speaks often of solitude and I think it stems from his early experience as a priest being with monks. Most people associate solitude with loneliness but that isn’t true at all. I’ve always had a desire for solitude, drove SU nuts during our early years together but now I think she too craves solitude. Just a quiet stillness that allows you to turn inward. Now, that isn’t always a good thing, as some of us have a very warped mind, but for the most part it is effective at slowing you down and helping you to develop a sense of gratitude for all that has been given to you.
One passage in the chapter explains the concept far better than I could, so here you go:
When you’ve been splashing around in a pool, it takes time for the ripples to settle enough so you can see what’s reflected there. Any attempt to speed the settling just creates new ripples. Learn to wait. Learn to be still, just a little at a time. You can’t rush it, it takes however long it takes.
That means to ignore the voice that says you’re wasting time.
I like that because it is a simple illustration that all of us can understand. Because all of us, at one time or another, have created ripples upon the surface of a pond or a pool. And he’s right, there is absolutely no way to speed up the time it takes for the ripples to subside. It takes however long it takes.
The whole point of the chapter is that we are God’s child, Abba’s child.
1 John 1:1 See what [an incredible] quality of
love the Father has given (shown, bestowed on) us, that we should [be permitted
to] be named and called and counted the children of God! And so we are!
How often do we think about, really think about that? For those of us that have children, we know that there is nothing, absolutely nothing, that can cause us to not care about our children. Why then do we think that God is not caring for us during times of stress and struggle? Because The Poser whispers to us, telling us that we aren’t really worthy, we’re ugly, we’re fat, we’re dumb, we’re stupid, we’re not really who we say we are and on and on it goes. The list is endless and The Poser knows it. The Poser is the ultimate manipulator. BTW, the post on the manipulator was not in the book, purely my creation, so don’t blast Manning for that one. So call a truce with The Poser, thank him for the defense mechanisms that he protected you from and let him know that you don’t need them any longer. God will provide for you.
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