Weekly Devotions for 7/27

Sights and Insights

Devotion for July 27, 2021

O give thanks to the Lord, call on his name,
    make known his deeds among the peoples.

Sing to him, sing praises to him;
    tell of all his wonderful works.

Glory in his holy name;
    let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice.

Seek the Lord and his strength;
    seek his presence continually. – Psalm 105:1-4 (NRSV)

I spent yesterday at the auto mechanic, with my car getting its 45,000-mile maintenance. It was not something that was particularly notable, just a regular part of continuing car care. To get the best out of a complex machine like a car, it requires a period break to make sure that all the parts are being cared for and kept running well. At the same time, I was supposed to do this weeks ago, in mid-June. My car message board has been telling me for a while that I was overdue for this regular maintenance. It just took me a while to find the time to get to it.

That seems so much like the way we too often approach our spiritual lives. We know it is important to take time to take a break and care for our souls. We often have a sense that we need to take some time to re-ground ourselves. We might even notice some signs in our lives that we have pushed past the time that we needed to take. Yet it can still take a while to getting around to scheduling an appointment and actually taking the time needed to tend to our spiritual selves. We wear our souls thin and hope that all will work out for the best.

We are not designed to continually press forward. At times we need a space of retreat, a time to step back and care for our spirits. Blocking in an afternoon or evening every few months to sit with ourselves, feel our emotions, and look for signs of the spiritual presence in our lives is an important activity, much like taking our car in for its regular maintenance. Indeed, it is not a bad idea to schedule the two together – when your car needs its regular care, so do you. While you are waiting for your car, read a psalm and reflect a bit on the ways that you are seeing or searching for God at the moment. It is a bit of spiritual maintenance that can help sustain you.