Today, I’m getting all Jesuit. I’m here with some monks, spiritual siblings, and the Holy Spirit doing an inward gaze with a Lenten focus.
Why? Because it’s good for me.
One of the genuine spiritual perils of blogging is becoming a slave to the blog, and technology in general. The fact is, when I use social media to promote my blog then more people read it. The unintended consequence is that I grow obligated to tend that thorny patch to keep things going.
The fine line between obligatory blog promotion and bondage is a surprisingly fine one. I check my stats. Is this post working? Which tweets helped the most? Who’s retweeting and passing along the message? When and how should I thank him or her? round and round…
The quick result is little carved out time of true unplugging. Something that will directly refresh my soul, establish healthy spaces and balance, sharpen my awareness to God’s will, and in fact create reservoirs in me for better blogging and interactions later.
It’s like going too long without water. Once dehydration sets in you stop feeling thirsty…when water is necessary to put things right again.
As bloggers (or any kind of humans) we must block out time for this true rest. Put it on the calendar in pen, and schedule it in like any other appointment. Otherwise, the urgent crowds out the crucial space and genuine pause we need. And, trust me, we suffer for it.
Have you ever gone on this sort of retreat? You know, a time away with…quiet, prayer, silent or common meals, great scenery, no technology, and maybe even a kind of spiritual Gandalf type guide to help you along the way?
I haven’t been to a monastery for a retreat, so I’ll be excited to share some of what I learn. Friends, Please pray for me today.
See you on the other side!
Have been and sometimes i found it restful and sometimes not so much so for whatever reason. Planning on a 3 day retreat later this spring at Mepkin Abbey in SC. Should be wonderful regardless of its resfulness or not.
I have been thinking about doing this more and more myself. So I will look forward to hearing about your experience. I talked with a friend just yesterday about the ease he had in scheduling a 48-hour retreat of silence at a relatively nearby abbey. It spurred me on to begin praying about it more seriously. And now I read your post. Hmm… I’ll be listening…
Well, Lisa. I loved it. just something about making the space and time for quiet and prayer is fantastically rejuvenating, and readies the heart for God’s work. HIGHLY recommend. A blog post on it is still to come!